Travel between Canada and other countries, February 2022
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Released: 2022-04-21
Highlights
In February 2022, the number of international arrivals to Canada increased compared with February 2021, but remained well below 2020 levels, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
While residents of overseas countries made four times more trips to Canada in February 2022 than in the same month in 2021, this was one-third (33.4%) of the trips observed in February 2020.
Likewise, US residents made over four times more trips to Canada in February 2022 than in February 2021. However, this represented just under one-quarter (24.6%) of the trips taken in the same month in 2020.
Compared with February 2021, Canadian residents made almost four times more trips home from visiting abroad in February 2022, but this was one-quarter (25.0%) of the trips taken in February 2020.
Border restrictions continue
Late in 2021, in response to the Omicron variant, the Government of Canada advised Canadians to avoid non-essential travel outside Canada and, effective December 21, 2021, all travellers entering Canada had to provide a negative COVID-19 molecular test for entry.
In mid-February 2022, the Canadian government announced a phased easing of travel requirements that took effect at the end of that month. While these changes will not be reflected in the February data, the impact can been seen in the March leading indicator of international arrivals to Canada.
Overseas visitors up in February
In February 2022, 105,000 overseas residents arrived in Canada. While this was four times the number of such arrivals in February 2021, it was one-third (33.4%) of overseas residents who entered Canada during the same month in 2020, before the pandemic.
The number of visitors from Canada's major markets increased. The number of European visitors jumped from 5,700 in February 2021 to 51,600 in February 2022, while that of Asian visitors increased from 13,300 to 21,300 over the same period. Both remained below February 2020 levels, as did visits by other overseas residents.
More US residents crossing into Canada
In February 2022, US residents took 314,800 trips to Canada. This was over four times as many as in February 2021 (75,400), but less than one-quarter (24.6%) of the 1.3 million such trips taken in February 2020.
Of the total arrivals in February 2022, 224,600 were by automobile—with over two-fifths (41.9%) being same-day returns (94,000)—a jump from the total of 68,300 in 2021. However, the February 2022 total was just under one-quarter (24.1%) of the 932,300 such arrivals before the pandemic in February 2020.
Canadian trips to the United States increasing
Canadian residents returned from 686,300 trips to the United States in February 2022, over three times more than in February 2021 (216,300), but just over one-fifth (22.3%) of the 3.1 million such trips in February 2020.
Of the total returning Canadian trips, 403,500 were by automobile, with just over three-fifths (60.4%) being same-day trips.
While the number of return air trips by Canadian residents rose almost nine times compared with February 2021 to 276,500 in February 2022, this was just under one-third (29.8%) of such trips from the same month in 2020, before the pandemic.
More Canadians return from overseas
In February 2022, 386,300 Canadian residents returned from visiting overseas. This was almost five times the number in February 2021 (79,600), but under one-third (31.8%) of the 1.2 million returning Canadians observed in February 2020.
Impact of blockades minimal
February saw political protests in the form of blockades at a small number of Canada–US land border crossings. While these protests did not appear to have a discernible impact on the total number of international arrivals into Canada, the blockades put a dent in cross-border truck traffic.
Note to readers
The Frontier Counts program has undergone a redesign, impacting the scope of this release.
Statistics Canada's Frontier Counts program uses administrative data from the Canada Border Services Agency on 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 January 2021 to January 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.
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).
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