Mobile Menu

Business Environment Profiles - Canada

International trips by Canadian residents

Published: 21 March 2025

Key Metrics

International trips by Canadian residents

Total (2025)

51 Million

Annualized Growth 2020-25

28.5 %

Definition of International trips by Canadian residents

This report tracks the number of international trips made by Canadian residents each year. Data is sourced from Statistics Canada.

Analyze the wider world in which businesses operate

We measure the upstream and downstream ramifications on thousands of industries so businesses can monitor their external operating environment. Explore membership options today.

Purchase options

Included in an IBISWorld Membership

Our industry reports include 35+ pages of data, analysis and charts, including:

  • Industry Financial Ratios
    Industry Financial Ratios
  • Historical and Forecast Growth
    Historical and Forecast Growth
  • Industry Market Size
    Industry Market Size
  • Industry Major Players
    Industry Major Players
  • Profitability Analysis
    Profitability Analysis
  • SWOT Analysis
    SWOT Analysis
  • Industry Trends
    Industry Trends
  • Industry Operating Conditions
    Industry Operating Conditions

Recent Trends – International trips by Canadian residents

Recent advancements in aircraft technology have made air travel cheaper and safer than in past decades. This development has enabled more Canadians to take to the skies for leisure travel, which has been aided by generally expanding levels of disposable income. On the business end, increasing globalization of markets and offshoring certain jobs has increased the need for international business travel. High corporate profit levels during the mid-2000s contributed to this trend by giving companies the funds necessary to seek business in new markets and internationalize their operations.

However, the recent depreciation of the Canadian dollar has constrained international travel activity, as this trend has made traveling abroad relatively expensive for Canadian residents. Lingering effects from the financial crisis in 2008 and 2009 and recent shocks to Canadian mining and refining operations placed a drag on the Canadian economy. While 2017 and 2018 experienced growth in international travel by Canadians, geopolitical tensions weighed on travel in 2019.

In 2020, international travel declined drastically as the pandemic led to the curtailment of large swaths of the global economy. Moreover, with many countries enacting travel bans to contain the spread of the virus, air traffic plummeted to levels not experienced in more than five decades. Overall, international trips by Canadian residents declined 74.0% in 2020. Travel weakened further in 2021, declining 45.9%, as travel restrictions remained in effect for most of the year, whereas travel restrictions had largely not yet taken effect in the first quarter of 2020, even as rapid actions were taken to vaccinate the population in the year. But as more countries lift their restrictions, travel by Canadian residents rebounded more sharply in the year, especially as more people have gotten vaccinated since the restrictions were imposed in 2020.

In turn, travel activity rebounded more dramatically in the summer of the year, which is a popular time to travel especially as larger countries such as the US lifted these restrictions at the same time of the year with other countries such as Germany and Australia following. With these factors, international travel by Canadian residents rebounded at a record rate of 304.0% in 2022 alone. International trips from Canadian residents are set to expand by 48.0%, with factors like the removal of pandemic restrictions within the latter half of 2022 helping boost up more travel for the following year from individuals and families waiting to travel again until these restrictions were abated. However, inflationary pressures have also pressured more consumers to scale back their spending, which has also tempered growth in the season for consumer appetite for more traveling activity. Recessionary fears in 2024 are set to pressure the number of international trips taken by Canadian residents, which is set to expand by 10.0% in the year compared with the exponential boost in residents making trips in the previous years however, factors like the continued need for trips from consumers in the period will help keep trips stable in the period, especially as factors like a potential soft landing in the economy in lieu of a hard recession helping boost up more spending in the year. Moving forward, IBISWorld expects international travel to fall, particularly to the United States, as economic uncertainty and potential tariffs influence relationship with the United States.

Show more

5-Year Outlook – International trips by Canadian residents

Through the end of 2030, outbound travel is expected to lower even as inflationary pressures ease...

Looking for IBISWorld Industry Reports?

Gain strategic insight and analysis on thousands of industries.

Trusted by More Than 10,000 Clients Around the World

  • IBISWorld client - VISA
  • IBISWorld client - ADP
  • IBISWorld client - Deloitte
  • IBISWorld client - AMEX
  • IBISWorld client - Bank of Montreal