Travel between Canada and other countries

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Residents from abroad took 2.0 million trips to Canada in August, down 1.0% compared with July. In the other direction, Canadian residents took 5.0 million trips abroad in August, edging down 0.3% from a month earlier.

American residents took 1.6 million trips to Canada in August, down 1.1% from July. This decrease was attributable to a 2.0% decline in overnight travel by US residents to Canada. Overnight travel by plane (-2.8%) and car (-1.9%) by American residents to Canada decreased.

Same-day car travel by American residents to Canada edged up 0.3% to 594,000 trips in August.

Residents of countries other than the United States took 377,000 trips to Canada in August, down 0.4% from July.

Travel to Canada by 6 of the top 12 overseas markets was down in August compared with July. The largest decline was registered by residents of South Korea (-12.1%) while the largest increase was recorded by residents of Mexico (+10.0%).

Travel by residents of China increased for the sixth consecutive month. The number of trips taken by residents of the United Kingdom, the most important overseas market for Canada, remained virtually unchanged (-0.1%) in August from a month earlier.

In the other direction, Canadian residents took 4.2 million trips to the United States in August, down 0.5% compared with July.

Overnight travel by Canadian residents to the United States was down in all modes of travel. Overnight travel by plane decreased 2.2% while overnight car travel was down 0.6%.

However, Canadians took 2.4 million same-day car trips to the United States, an increase of 0.6%.

Canadian residents also took 755,000 trips to overseas countries, edging up 0.3% from July.

Note: Monthly data are seasonally adjusted. All seasonally adjusted data have been revised back to January 2010.

NEXUS travel data (for both land and sea) are not included.

Available on CANSIM: tables 427-0001 to 427-0006.

Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 5005.

The August 2011 issue of International Travel, Advance Information, Vol. 27, no. 8 (66-001-P, free), is now available from the Key resource module of our website under Publications.

For more information, contact Client Services (toll-free 1-800-307-3382; 613-951-9169; fax: 613-951-2909; tourism@statcan.gc.ca). To enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Lotfi Chahdi (613-951-3136; lotfi.chahdi@statcan.gc.ca), Tourism and the Centre for Education Statistics Division.