Travel between Canada and other countries, April 2022
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Released: 2022-06-23
Highlights
In April 2022, the number of international arrivals to Canada continued to increase, but remained below 2019 levels, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
While residents of overseas countries made almost seven times more trips to Canada in April 2022 compared with the same month in 2021, this was half (50.1%) of the number of trips observed in April 2019.
Likewise, US residents made almost eight times more trips to Canada in April 2022 than in April 2021. However, this was less than half (47.8%) of the trips taken in the same month in 2019.
Compared with April 2021, Canadian residents made over eight times more trips home from visiting abroad in April 2022, reaching over half (56.0%) of the April 2019 pre-pandemic level.
For more up-to-date estimates of international arrivals into Canada, please see May's "Leading indicator of international arrivals to Canada."
Border restrictions continue to ease
As of April 1, 2022, fully vaccinated travellers no longer needed to provide a negative COVID-19 test result to enter Canada by air, land, or water. However, a fully vaccinated traveller arriving in Canada may still be randomly selected to take a COVID-19 molecular test on arrival.
As of April 25, 2022, partially vaccinated or unvaccinated children aged 5 to 11 accompanied by a fully vaccinated adult were no longer required to complete a COVID-19 test prior to entering into the country. As of this same date, travellers were no longer required to provide a quarantine plan upon entry.
Overseas visitors up again
In April 2022, 241,700 overseas residents arrived in Canada, almost seven times the number of such arrivals in April 2021. However, this was half (50.1%) 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, with the number of visitors from Europe jumping from 5,600 in April 2021 to 122,800 in April 2022, and the number of visitors from Asia increasing from 15,100 to 45,100 over the same period. Both remained below April 2019 levels, as did visits from other overseas residents.
More US residents arriving
In April 2022, US residents took 759,600 trips to Canada, almost 300,000 more than in March. While this was almost eight times as many as in April 2021 (95,600), it was less than half (47.8%) of the 1.6 million such trips taken during the same month in 2019.
Of the total arrivals in April 2022, 542,700 were by automobile—with 46.1% being same-day returns (250,400)—a jump from the total arrivals of 88,800 in April 2021. Yet the April 2022 total was just under half (49.3%) of the 1.1 million such arrivals before the pandemic in April 2019.
Canadian trips to the US growing
Canadian residents returned from 2.1 million trips to the United States in April 2022, roughly 750,000 more than in March. This was over seven times more than in April 2021 (283,300), and represented over half (54.6%) of the pre-pandemic monthly level from April 2019 for the first time.
Of the total returning Canadian trips, 1.4 million were by automobile in April 2022, with over half (56.0%) of these being same-day automobile trips.
The number of return air trips by Canadian residents rose steeply from 23,600 in April 2021 to 611,500 in April 2022, but this was 62.0% of such trips from the same month in 2019, before the pandemic.
Canadians resuming overseas travel
It appears that many Canadians have now resumed overseas travel. In April, the 708,700 residents who returned from visiting overseas, up sharply from April 2021, represented 60.7% of the April 2019 pre-pandemic level, the highest monthly recovery rate to date.
Note to readers
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 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 April 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).
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