Is the Canadian Elbows Up Movement losing steam?
Statistics Canada this week reports that Canadian visits to the United States rose to 1.9 million last month. That’s up 9.5% from the same month in 2025.
This marks the second month in a row that Canadian visits to the U.S. have gone up. Overall numbers are still well below 2024 levels, but the steady increase in Canadian visitors to the States is encouraging news for U.S. travel and tourism.
StatsCan figures for May of this year show return trips to Canada from the U.S. by car jumped 15?.1% when compared with the same month last year. Air trips, however, declined 5.5%.
Route 66, Flagstaff, Arizona. Brand USA Photo
In April of this year, return trips to Canada from the U.S. rose 1.4%. Return car trips were up 5.8%, but return trips by air fell 8.1%.
Canadian-resident return trips from overseas countries by air totalled 1.1 million in May 2026, up 3.0% from the same month one year earlier.
US-resident trips to Canada increased 10.1% in May, reaching 1.6 million and marking the fourth consecutive month of year-over-year increases. Overseas-resident trips to Canada totalled 513,500 in May, up 3.7% from the same month one year earlier.
Those are both very good signs for Canadian tourism as we head into the busy summer travel season.
PORTER ADDS FLIGHTS TO TURKS + CAICOS, TAMPA
Porter Airlines is adding another destination to its sun network with service to Providenciales, Turks and Caicos. The new non-stop flights are available from Toronto Pearson, five times weekly, beginning Nov. 6, and Ottawa (YOW), twice weekly, beginning Dec. 17.
Turks and Caicos is the fifth new sun destination to be added to Porter’s growing winter seasonal network, joining recently announced Aruba, San Jose (Costa Rica), Montego Bay and Los Cabos. This is in addition to existing service to Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, Nassau, Grand Cayman and Liberia.
Hamilton International Airport is also gaining a new route to Tampa, with four weekly flights, beginning Dec. 18. This is the third city in Florida that Porter flies to from Hamilton, joining Orlando and Fort Lauderdale.
Porter also has launched new non-stop service between Ottawa and Deer Lake in Newfoundland and Labrador, becoming the only airline offering direct flights between the two cities. Deer Lake is a fabulous jumping off point for visits to western Newfoundland, including Gros Morne National Park.
SUNWING ANNOUNCES WINTER SUN FLIGHTS TO CARIBBEAN AND MEXICO
Sunwing Vacations unveils its Winter 2026–2027 schedule, offering Canadians even more ways to escape to the sun next season.
Alongside returning favourites like Cancun, Punta Cana and Montego Bay, guests can now take advantage of new winter vacations from Toronto to Acapulco, Winnipeg to Puerto Plata and Montreal to Cozumel.
