Canadian resident return trips abroad by automobile declined markedly in July compared to one year prior, according to Statistics Canada, continuing the slide prompted by a reluctance to travel to the United States.
Return trips by automobile from the U.S. were down 36.9 per cent, while return trips by air from the U.S. were down 25.8 per cent compared to the same month a year earlier.
Return trips by air globally were down 5.3 per cent compared to last July.
U.S. resident trips by automobile were also down, declining 7.4 per cent compared to last July, while global arrivals by air to Canada were up 3.1 per cent. Air arrivals by U.S. residents were up 0.7 per cent.
The combined number of all international arrivals in Canada was down 15.6 compared to July of last year, and marked the sixth straight month of year-over-year declines. July was the seventh straight month of down year-over-year automobile trips to the U.S. by Canadians Ïã½¶ÊÓÆµÖ±²¥” every month since U.S. President Donald Trump was re-elected.
These declines mark the first time since early 2021, when COVID-19 restrictions were in place, that Canadian return trips by automobile declined, according to a report from Statistics Canada examining the trend.