Leading indicator of international arrivals to Canada, December 2023
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Released: 2024-01-11
Highlights
In December 2023, the number of international arrivals to Canada, including non-resident trips and Canadian-resident return trips, increased from December 2022.
The number of non-resident arrivals at Canadian airports totalled 732,300 in December 2023, up 19.9% from December 2022. Meanwhile, the number of Canadian-resident return trips from abroad reached 1.6 million, a 16.7% increase from December 2022.
In December 2023, US residents took 997,700 trips to Canada through land ports, up 27.0% from the same month in 2022. The number of Canadian-resident return trips from the United States via the same land ports also rose, up 31.5% year over year to 1.7 million trips in December 2023.
To further explore current and historical data in an interactive format, please visit the Frontier Counts: Interactive Dashboard.
Non-resident trips to Canada by air
In December, non-resident arrivals at Canadian airports totalled 732,300, up 19.9% from December 2022. These include arrivals from overseas countries (404,600) and from the United States (327,700).
When data from Toronto Pearson International Airport Terminal 1 are excluded from the total arrivals (see Note to readers), non-resident arrivals in December 2023 represented 96.4% of the volume seen in December 2019, before the pandemic. This was up from the 92.6% recovery rate observed in November 2023.
Chart 1
Non-resident trips to Canada by commercial aircraft, December, 2019 to 2023
US-resident trips to Canada by automobile
In December, the number of US-resident trips to Canada by automobile through land ports reached 997,700, up 27.0% from the 785,800 trips recorded in December 2022. The number of arrivals by automobile in December 2023 represented 94.8% of that observed in December 2019. This was up from the 86.8% recovery rate posted in November 2023.
During the 2023 holiday season, from December 22 to December 31, there was an average of 51,600 US-resident trips to Canada per day, which was more than twice the daily average observed from December 1 to December 21 (23,000).
Chart 2
United States-resident trips to Canada by automobile, December, 2019 to 2023
Canadian-resident return trips by air
In December, Canadian-resident return trips from abroad through airports stood at 1.6 million, up 16.7% from December 2022.
When arrivals at Toronto Pearson International Airport Terminal 1 are excluded from the total arrivals (see Note to readers), the number of return trips in December 2023 was 3.7% higher than the pre-pandemic level observed in December 2019. This was lower than the recovery rate of 103.9% observed in November 2023.
Chart 3
Canadian-resident return trips from abroad by commercial aircraft, December, 2019 to 2023
Canadian-resident return trips by automobile
In December, the number of Canadian-resident return trips from visiting the United States by automobile via land ports totalled 1.7 million, compared with 1.3 million trips the same month one year earlier. This represented a 31.5% increase.
In December, the number of Canadian-resident return trips by automobile was 86.0% of the 2.0 million trips observed in the same month in 2019. This was lower than the 88.8% recovery rate posted in November 2023.
Chart 4
Canadian-resident return trips from the United States by automobile, December, 2019 to 2023
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Note to readers
This release provides a first glimpse of international arrivals to Canada in December 2023. Complete counts for the December reference month will be available with the release of "Travel between Canada and other countries" on February 23, 2024.
All counts of arrivals by air are from commercial aircraft and are produced exclusively using Primary Inspection Kiosk (PIK) data. PIKs were deployed at Toronto Pearson International Airport Terminal 1 on June 22, 2021, and, as of July 2021, these arrivals are included in the total counts, which has consequently improved coverage. In 2022, PIKs captured approximately 92% of all commercial air arrivals.
Counts of arrivals entering the country by automobile through land ports equipped with the automated Integrated Primary Inspection Line (IPIL) system represent a subset of US-resident trips and Canadian-resident return trips by automobile. In 2022, IPIL land ports captured approximately 89% of all automobile entries.
In January 2022, some IPIL ports switched mode from land to water. In 2019, arrivals at these ports accounted for a small fraction (0.7%) of all arrivals entering or returning to Canada by automobile.
Readers are encouraged to review the concepts, definitions, data sources and methods for Frontier Counts: Interactive Dashboard, especially when making historical comparisons and examining specific regions.
Selected estimates from the Canadian Tourism Activity Tracker for October 2023 are available upon request.
Products
The product "Frontier Counts: Interactive Dashboard," part of the Data Visualization Products series (71-607-X), is 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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