Canada Sees 11th Straight Month of Declining Travel Arrivals
Canada’s Travel Slump Continues Through December 2025
Canada saw another big drop in international arrivals last December. Total entries fell 12.7 percent compared to the same month in 2024, marking the 11th straight month of decline.
Statistics Canada released preliminary data showing that 4.6 million people entered the country by air or automobile in December. The numbers reflect ongoing shifts in travel patterns and economic conditions affecting both visitors and Canadians heading home.
Air Travel From the U.S. Takes a Hit
Non-resident air arrivals totalled 752,700 in December, down 1.1 percent from the previous year. American visitors drove most of that decline, with arrivals dropping 8.9 percent year over year.
Overseas arrivals offered a brighter spot, increasing by 6.6 percent. That growth helped offset some of the losses from American travelers, though not enough to reverse the overall trend.
December 20 brought a bright spot during the holiday rush. That day recorded the highest number of non-resident arrivals, nearly doubling what Canada typically sees on Saturdays.
Canadians Are Crossing the Border Less Often
Canadian residents made 1.6 million return trips by air in December, slipping just 0.1 percent from the previous year. Returns from overseas destinations jumped 10.4 percent, but trips from the United States plummeted 18.7 percent.
Cross-border car travel showed the steepest decline. Canadian residents made 1.3 million automobile trips back from the United States, down a whopping 30.7 percent from December 2024. That marked the 12th consecutive month of year-over-year declines in vehicle crossings.
American Visitors Keep Staying Away
U.S. residents travelling to Canada by car dropped 9.0 percent compared to December 2024. Some holiday weekends showed temporary increases, but overall movement stayed well below previous years.
The pattern reinforces what we’ve been seeing all year. Short-term travel between the two countries continues to weaken despite their long-standing ties.
What These Numbers Mean
The sustained decline points to bigger shifts happening in tourism, business travel, and cross-border mobility. Overseas travel is bouncing back, but the weak Canada-U.S. movement keeps dragging down total arrival numbers.
These figures come from preliminary data. Statistics Canada will release final counts in February 2026, which may show slight adjustments.
Looking at the Bigger Picture
These statistics focus on travel rather than immigration applications, but they still matter for policy planning. Reduced travel volumes affect processing demand, tourism revenue, and infrastructure planning.
Border management agencies use this data when allocating resources. Tourism operators need it for forecasting. Even immigration planners pay attention because travel trends often signal broader economic patterns.
Canada’s travel recovery continues to look uneven. While people from overseas destinations are returning, the weakness in U.S. travel and resident border crossings keeps shaping the country’s international mobility landscape.
