Skip to Content Subscribe Our Offers My Account Manage My Subscriptions FAQ Newsletters Canada Canadian True Crime Canadian Politics Health World Israel & Middle East Financial Post NP Comment Longreads Puzzmo Diversions Comics NP News Quiz New York Times Crossword Horoscopes Life Eating & Drinking Style Sponsored Play for Ontario Travel Travel Canada Travel USA Travel International Cruises Travel Essentials Culture Books Celebrity Movies Music Theatre Television Business Essentials Advice Lives Told Tails Told Shopping Buy Canadian Home Living Outdoor Living Kitchen & Dining Tech Style & Beauty Personal Care Entertainment & Hobbies Gift Guide Travel Guide Amazon Prime Day Deals Savings National Post Store More Sports Hockey Baseball Basketball Football Soccer Golf Tennis Driving Vehicle Research Reviews News Gear Guide Obituaries Place an Obituary Place an In Memoriam Classifieds Place an Ad Celebrations Working Business Ads Archives Healthing Epaper Manage Print Subscription Profile Settings My Subscriptions Saved Articles My Offers Newsletters Customer Service FAQ Newsletters Canada World Financial Post NP Comment Longreads Puzzmo Diversions Life Shopping Epaper Manage Print Subscription HomeNewsCanadaCanadians are driving back to the U.S. They still aren't flyingCanadian trips to the United States rose for a fourth straight month in July, but the entire increase came by car. Air travel fell again and is now the lowest of the past three Julys.Last updated 16 minutes ago You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.A U.S. Department of Homeland Security officer hands back a passport to a Canadian traveller at the Peace Arch Border Crossing n British Columbia. Photo by SAM LEUNG /PROVINCETrips to the United States by Canadian residents rose for a fourth straight month in July, but the entire increase came by car, according to new federal data.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorStatistics Canada counted 2.3 million return trips from the United States last month, up 10.2 per cent from the same month in 2025, in preliminary figures released Tuesday. It was the fourth consecutive month of year-over-year growth. Automobile trips rose 12.8 per cent while air trips fell 1.4 per cent.The agency attributed the increase largely to a base-year effect, because Canadian travel to the United States fell sharply in 2025. Measured against July 2024, before the pullback, car trips were down 28.9 per cent and air trips down 26.8 per cent. Statistics Canada said in an email that comparing a month with 2024 “helps illustrate the trend relative to the period before the trade-related conflict.” The counts show Canadians made 1.1 million fewer trips to the United States in July 2025 than in July 2024. About 210,000 of those have come back.Get a dash of perspective along with the trending news of the day in a very readable format.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of NP Posted will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againWayne Smith, director of the Institute for Hospitality and Tourism Research at Toronto Metropolitan University, said in an email the four-month run amounts to “a stabilization and return to a new normal,” at least for the foreseeable future.Smith wrote that the trips coming back are most likely visits to friends and relatives, short excursions and business travel, while “longer vacations are still down.” The figures count border crossings rather than travellers and do not record why a trip was taken. Statistics Canada wrote that there have been no changes in the way it counts over that period. Complete counts for July are due Sept. 22.Statistics Canada publishes the trip-length breakdown only in its daily tables. Totalled across July, Canadians made 1,093,132 same-day trips to the United States and 1,183,922 overnight trips. Same-day travel rose 13.2 per cent from last July and overnight travel 7.5 per cent, so three-fifths of the month’s increase was trips that ended the same day. Overnight trips remain 30.3 per cent below their July 2024 level, against 26.5 per cent for same-day.A separate Statistics Canada study released July 22 measured that split for last year. Visits to see friends and relatives in the United States fell nine per cent in 2025 (536,000 visits), while leisure visits fell 21.5 per cent (3.2 million). Family travel was “less prone to destination substitution,” the study found.Air travel went the other way. The agency recorded 378,482 return flights from the United States in July, down from 383,703 a year earlier and 517,256 in July 2024. Air travel has not recovered any of what it lost.Canadians kept flying, just not south. Return flights from overseas totalled 988,884 in July, above the 947,347 recorded in July 2024, while flights from the United States fell more than a quarter over the same two years.Americans are going the other way, and have been for longer. The July release also recorded 2.7 million U.S.-resident trips to Canada in July, up 6.5 per cent and a sixth consecutive month of year-over-year growth. Trips by automobile rose 7.2 per cent and trips by air 4.8 per cent.Forty-nine per cent of Canadian travellers said they intend to visit the United States in the next 12 months, up from 43 per cent in April, according to a Longwoods International tracking study. The travel research firm surveyed 1,000 Canadian adults online from July 9 to 14 and published the findings July 28. Twenty-eight per cent said they had visited in the past six months, up from 23 per cent a year earlier.Fifty-six per cent said U.S. government policies, trade practices and political statements make them less likely to visit, down from 63 per cent a year earlier. Thirty-seven per cent of Canadians said they believe the United States is a safe place to visit, up from 34 per cent in April but below the 42 per cent recorded in April 2025.“Canadian travel to the U.S. and intent to travel to the U.S. are improving, albeit slowly,” Amir Eylon, president and CEO of Longwoods International, said in the release.Longwoods surveyed Canadians before the latest round of tariffs was announced. U.S. President Donald Trump signed three proclamations on July 20 imposing 50 per cent duties on certain Canadian goods including wine, hockey sticks and cement. They are set to take effect Aug. 19.“The economies and societies are intertwined, so there was bound to be a regression to the mean but the new mean seems to be much lower overall,” Smith wrote.Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here. Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.