Statistics show Canadians are slowly but steadily increasing their visits to the U.S. And a new poll suggests anti-U.S. sentiment is on the wane with Canadian travellers.
But a full recovery is still a ways away.
Statistics Canada says Canadians returned from 2.3 million trips to the U.S. in July, up 10.2% from the same month in 2025. That marks the fourth consecutive month of year-over-year growth for U.S. travel from Canada.
Stats Can said return automobile trips rose 12.8% last month, but air trips dropped 1.4%.
Unsplash Photos
Their July travel report found that, while return trips by car were up from July of last year, they’re still 28.9% lower than they were in July of 2024. Air trips last month were 26.8% below July 2024 levels.
There’s a still a long ways to go before Canadians travel to the States the way they used to. But those are encouraging numbers for U.S. tourism.
In related news, the latest Longwoods International tracking study of Canadian travellers found that 28% of them visited the U.S. in the past six months, up from 23% a year ago. And 49% intend to visit the U.S. in the next 12 months, up from 43% in April.
“Canadian travel to the U.S. and intent to travel to the U.S. are improving, albeit slowly,” said Amir Eylon, President and CEO of Longwoods International.
The world-famous Santa Monica Pier in California. Jim Byers Photo
On the other hand, Canadian tourism officials should be pleased with the reverse flow of visitors.
Stats Can says U.S. resident trips to Canada increased 6.5% in July, reaching 2.7 million. This marked the sixth consecutive month of year-over-year increase.
U.S. residents last month made 1.9 million trips to Canada by automobile (+7.2%) and 749,000 trips by air (+4.8%).
Overseas-resident trips to Canada were up 5.7% in July from the same month one year earlier, Stats Can said.
That’s great news for hotels, restaurants and attractions in Canada, which are already enjoying an increase in Canadian domestic tourism.
Stats Can said Canadian resident return trips from overseas countries by air totalled 988,900 in July 2026, a decrease of 1.4% from the same month one year earlier.
THIRTY TOP TRAVEL DESTINATIONS FOR 2026
MSN Travel has a good item on the top 30 travel destinations for this year; a list that includes several Canadian and U.S. spots. There are also a few places I’ve never heard of, which is great. Here’s their top 30.
Ripplecove Lakefront Hotel and Spa is a beautiful resort on Lake Massawippi in the Eastern Townships of Quebec. Jim Byers Photo
- Quebec (I’ve loved every part of the province I’ve visited. Will be back next month!)
- Rabat, Morocco
- Milan
- Beijing (tons of great things to see and do)
- Oulu, Finland
- Khiva, Uzbekistan
- Potosi, Bolivia
- Badlands National Park, North Dakota
- Dolomite Mountains, Italy (have always wanted to visit, but no luck yet)
- Manila
- Black Sea Coast, Turkey
- Brussels (vastly underrated European city)
- Rio de Janeiro
- Akasera National Park, Rwanda
- Vancouver (perhaps the world’s most beautiful city)
- Yamagata Prefecture, Japan
- Upper Carniola (Gorenjska), Slovenia (love that country)
- Route 66, Oklahoma (haven’t been, but will be on Route 66 in Illinois next week)
- Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Australia (the mystical red centre of the country; not to be missed)
- Guimaraes, Portugal (don’t know the town but love the country)
- Chiriqui Province, Panama
- Banff, Alberta (can’t refute having beautiful Banff n the top 30)
- Basque Country, Spain
- Coastal Oaxaca, Mexico
- Maui, Hawaii (still my fave place on earth)
- Medellin, Colombia (haven’t been but quite enjoyed Bogota a few years ago)
- Udaipur, India (if it’s anything like Jaipur, I’d vote for it)
- Arusha, Tanzania
- East Coast of Barbados (great choice if you’re looking for untamed nature and no crowds)
- Pittsburgh (cool and artsy, yet tough and gritty at the same time; a beautiful U.S. city)
