Leading indicator of international arrivals to Canada, March 2021
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Released: 2021-04-13
Highlights
In March, international arrivals to Canada by land and air remained low as restrictions on non-essential travel continued and additional testing requirements were imposed on air passengers.
US travellers made 55,900 trips to Canada through land ports with electronic sensors, down 83.5% compared with March 2020. Moreover, 166,700 Canadians returned from the United States through these same ports, down 86.3% from the same month a year earlier.
Non-resident travellers arriving from abroad at Canadian airports equipped with electronic kiosks were down 92.5% year over year in March. Meanwhile, the number of Canadian residents returning from abroad via these same airports fell 96.9%.
This release provides a first glimpse of international arrivals to Canada in March. Complete counts will be available with March's Travel between Canada and other countries.
March marks a year of restrictions
On March 18, 2021, the ongoing restrictions on non-essential travel across the Canada–US border were extended for another 30 days. Additional travel requirements for international air travellers—testing upon arrival and a hotel stopover—were implemented by the federal government in late February.
Non-resident arrivals by air
Air arrivals of non-residents from abroad at Canadian airports equipped with Primary Inspection Kiosks (PIK) numbered 13,400 in March, including 10,600 from overseas countries and 2,800 from the United States. This is down from 179,700 in March 2020.
Infographic 1
Non-resident air travellers arriving in Canada, March 2020 and 2021
Non-resident arrivals by car
In March, US residents took 55,900 trips to Canada in US-licensed automobiles through 111 land ports equipped with the automated Integrated Primary Inspection Line (IPIL) system, down 83.5% from 337,700 trips in March 2020.
Infographic 2
United States residents entering Canada in US-licensed automobiles, March 2020 and 2021
Canadians returning by air
In March, 33,000 Canadian residents flew back from abroad via airports equipped with PIKs. With new requirements for testing in effect, the March average daily volume of 1,065 residents per day was down by just under half from 2,117 in February.
Infographic 3
Canadian residents returning by air from abroad, March 2020 and 2021
Canadians returning by car
In March, 86.3% fewer Canadian residents returned from the United States in Canadian-licensed automobiles via the 111 IPIL ports compared with March 2020. The number of Canadians returning fell to 166,700 in March 2021 from 1.2 million in March 2020.
Infographic 4
Canadian residents returning from the United States in Canadian-licensed automobiles, March 2020 and 2021
Note to readers
This indicator uses administrative data from the Canada Border Services Agency on international travellers entering the country by automobile and by air.
Counts of cross-border travel by automobile through 111 land ports equipped with the automated Integrated Primary Inspection Line (IPIL) system are available by the traveller's state or province of residence—based on the automobile licence plate—and by the province of entry into Canada.
The IPIL data are a subset of Canadian and US residents entering Canada by automobile and exclude some crossings. In 2020, the 111 IPIL ports captured approximately 80% of cross-border automobile traffic between Canada and the United States.
Counts of travellers entering the country by air are taken from the Primary Inspection Kiosk (PIK) system, and are available by the traveller's country of residence and airports equipped with PIKs.
The PIK leading indicator is a subset of travellers entering Canada by air, capturing approximately 59% of international arrivals. It excludes Terminal 1 at Toronto Pearson International Airport, where PIKs have not been fully deployed. Users are cautioned that the phased deployment will affect historical comparability.
Contact information
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; STATCAN.infostats-infostats.STATCAN@canada.ca) or Media Relations (613-951-4636; STATCAN.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.STATCAN@canada.ca).
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