Canada international arrivals rise in September as U.S. visitor growth stays strong
Cross-border travel to Canada continues to expand heading into the autumn season, with preliminary arrivals by air and automobile reaching 5.3 million in September. The total is up 9.5% from the same month in 2025, reflecting gains in returning Canadian travellers, U.S. visitors and overseas arrivals.
Highlights
- Canadian-resident return trips from abroad reach 2.9 million in September 2026, up 5.6% year over year, with 1.9 million from the U.S. (+6.8%).
- Trips to Canada by U.S. residents climb 17.2% in September to 1.8 million, marking eight consecutive months of year-over-year growth.
- Arrivals by overseas residents rise 7.3% from September 2025, with 555,500 arriving by air (+7.5%) and record daily arrivals on September 18 at 24,500.
September travel volumes and source breakdown
As reported by Statistics Canada, Canadian-resident return trips from abroad by automobile and air stand at 2.9 million in September, up 5.6% from a year earlier.Return trips by Canadian residents from the U.S. total 1.9 million, an increase of 6.8% from September 2025 and the sixth straight month of year-over-year growth. Automobile returns from the U.S. rise 5.6% from a year earlier but remain 31.1% below September 2024 levels, while air returns increase 11.6% year over year but stay 18.7% below their September 2024 level.
Canadian-resident return trips from overseas countries by air reach 1.0 million in September 2026, up 3.2% from the same month one year earlier.
Inbound visitor momentum supports tourism activity
Trips to Canada by U.S. residents by automobile and air climb 17.2% in September to 1.8 million, marking an eighth consecutive month of year-over-year growth. Within that total, U.S. residents make 1.3 million automobile trips, up 19.5%, and 537,400 air trips, up 12.2%.Arrivals by overseas residents increase 7.3% from September 2025. More overseas residents arrive by air, at 555,500, up 7.5%, than by automobile, at 56,200, up 6.0%, and the highest daily number of overseas arrivals is recorded on Friday, September 18, at 24,500.
Our earlier article on Lapu-Lapu City’s designation of Megaworld’s Mactan Newtown as the city’s “Tourism, Culture, and Investment Capital” outlined how the executive order formalizes coordination between the developer and local government to promote tourism, culture, jobs, and investment. It also detailed the township’s mixed-use assets—hotels, retail, and convention facilities—positioning it to draw events and business travel and strengthen Cebu’s visitor economy.
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