Statistics Canada Records Third Consecutive Monthly Increase in Cross-Border Travel

OTTAWA, ON — Statistics Canada published its monthly international travel report Thursday evening, revealing that the volume of Canadian residents returning from trips to the United States rose for the third consecutive month in July 2026, reaching 2.4 million trips across land and air ports of entry.

Travel Telemetry and Economic Drivers

The statistical agency reported a 4.2 percent seasonally adjusted increase in same-day automobile crossings and a 3.8 percent rise in overnight commercial air travel compared to June. Economists noted that relative exchange rate stabilization combined with competitive cross-border retail fuel and consumer goods pricing in border states like New York, Michigan, and Washington bolstered discretionary summer family travel.

Conversely, visits by U.S. residents to Canada also expanded by 3.1 percent, driven by strong tourism activity in the Canadian Rockies, Quebec City, and Atlantic Canada.

Border Infrastructure and Commercial Logistics

Bridge and tunnel authorities in Niagara Falls, Windsor, and Fort Frances reported manageable peak customs wait times due to expanded NEXUS lane operations and digital pre-declaration tools deployed by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).

Tourism industry associations commended the bilateral travel growth, noting that healthy cross-border visitor flows support hospitality employment in border communities on both sides of the frontier.

Full Quarterly Tourism Report Publication

Statistics Canada will release its complete third-quarter National Tourism Indicators on October 22, 2026.