Travel between Canada and other countries, May 2022
Archived Content
Information identified as archived is provided for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. It is not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards and has not been altered or updated since it was archived. Please "contact us" to request a format other than those available.
Released: 2022-07-22
Highlights
In May, the number of international arrivals to Canada continued to increase, but remained below 2019 levels, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Residents of overseas countries made almost 12 times more trips to Canada in May 2022 compared with the same month in 2021. However, this was less than half (46.8%) of the number of trips taken in May 2019.
Likewise, US residents made almost 10 times more trips to Canada in May 2022 than in May 2021 and, for the first time since the onset of the pandemic, this number represented more than half (52.1%) of the trips taken during the same reference month in 2019.
Compared with May 2021, Canadian residents made nearly eight times more trips home from visiting abroad in May 2022, reaching over three-fifths (60.7%) of the May 2019 pre-pandemic level.
For more up-to-date estimates of international arrivals into Canada, please see June's "Leading indicator of international arrivals to Canada."
Border restrictions further eased
As of April 25, 2022, partially vaccinated or unvaccinated children aged 5 to 11 years accompanied by a fully vaccinated adult were no longer required to complete a COVID-19 test prior to arriving in Canada. As of the same date, travellers were no longer required to provide a quarantine plan upon entry.
However, all travellers, regardless of citizenship or vaccination status, were required to use the ArriveCAN app to declare their health information within 72 hours before arriving in Canada.
In May, the requirement to be fully vaccinated with a government-approved COVID-19 vaccine to board federally regulated air, rail, and marine transportation remained in effect.
Overseas visitors increase
In May, 315,400 overseas residents arrived in Canada, almost 12 times the number of such arrivals in May 2021. However, this remained less than half (46.8%) of the overseas residents who arrived in Canada during the same month in 2019, before the pandemic.
The number of visitors from major markets continued to increase in May, with visitors from Europe jumping from 7,100 in May 2021 to 164,000 in May 2022 and those from Asia increasing from 8,500 to 72,700 over the same period; both remained below May 2019 levels.
More US residents visit Canada
In May 2022, US residents made 1.1 million trips to Canada. While this is almost 10 times as many trips as in May 2021 (113,500), it was just over half (52.1%) of the 2.1 million trips taken during the same month in 2019.
Of the total arrivals recorded in May 2022, 692,600 were by automobile—with 43.7% (302,600) being same-day returns—an increase from the 105,300 total arrivals by automobile recorded in May 2021. The number recorded in May 2022 was half (49.9%) of the 1.4 million such arrivals recorded in May 2019, before the pandemic.
More Canadians travel to the United States
Canadian residents returned from 2.2 million trips to the United States in May 2022. This was over seven times the number recorded in May 2021 (311,800), and roughly three-fifths (59.0%) of the May 2019 pre-pandemic level.
Of the total returning Canadian trips, 1.6 million were by automobile in May 2022, with over half (58.5%) being same-day trips.
The number of Canadian-resident trips by air to the United States rose sharply to 593,200 in May, from 28,200 in May 2021, representing almost three-quarters (73.6%) of the level recorded in the same month in 2019, before the pandemic.
Canadians resume overseas travel
In May 2022, the 652,400 residents who returned from visiting overseas, rising sharply from May 2021 (51,400), represented over two-thirds (67.2%) of the pre-pandemic level, the highest monthly recovery to date.
Note to readers
Statistics Canada's Frontier Counts program uses Canada Border Services Agency administrative data gathered from all international travellers who have been cleared for entry or re-entry into Canada.
Starting with the January 2022 release, all estimates, including those in Table 1, are based on unadjusted counts only. Seasonally adjusted data continue to be available online in tables 24-10-0051-01 and 24-10-0054-01.
Seasonally adjusted data from February 2022 to April 2022 have been revised. No revisions were made to data that were not seasonally adjusted.
Elements of Statistics Canada's Frontier Counts program have recently been modified. For example, travellers arriving by commercial air with a trip duration of a year or more and workers are now excluded from the visitor counts. Although these changes should not have a significant impact on total estimates, readers are encouraged to review the concepts, definitions, data sources and methods for Frontier Counts, as well as the explanatory notes for the online tables, especially when making historical comparisons and examining specific regions.
Overseas countries refer to countries other than Canada or the United States.
A Canadian resident visitor is a Canadian resident traveller whose trip purpose outside Canada is related to tourism and whose trip duration is less than one year.
A non-resident visitor is a traveller to Canada whose country of residence is not Canada, whose trip purpose is related to tourism and whose trip duration is less than one year.
Products
The May 2022 issue of International Travel: Advance Information (66-001-P) is now available.
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; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).
- Date modified: