Canadian residents took 80.3 million trips in the fourth quarter of 2024, a 7.7% increase compared to the same period in 2023, according to new data released by Statistics Canada.
The majority of these trips—88.4%—were domestic, with international travel accounting for the remainder: 8.2% to the United States and 3.4% to other countries.
Domestic Travel on the Rise
Domestic travel totalled 71 million trips in Q4 2024, marking a 7.8% year-over-year increase. Of these, 26 million were overnight trips, while 45.1 million were same-day outings.
Visiting friends or relatives remained the most common reason for travel within Canada, accounting for 45.7% of trips.
Leisure or recreational purposes made up 30.3%.
Canadians spent $16.2 billion on domestic travel during the quarter, up 11% from Q4 2023.
The average domestic trip cost $228, with overnight trips averaging $440 and same-day trips averaging $106.
Spending included accommodations (18.6%), vehicle operations (18.4%), and dining at restaurants and bars (17.6%).
The average trip length was one night.
U.S. Travel Mixed
Canadians made 6.6 million trips to the United States between October and December 2024, up 4.2% from the previous year.
According to StatCan, the increase was driven by same-day travel, which rose 20.4% to 3.2 million trips. Overnight trips dropped 7.5% to 3.4 million.
The primary reasons for travel to the U.S. were holidays or leisure (42.6%), visiting friends or relatives (21%), and non-routine shopping trips (19.4%).
Canadians spent $5.6 billion on U.S. travel in the fourth quarter—a 7% decline from the same period in 2023. The drop in spending was attributed to the decrease in overnight trips.
Average trip spending was $851, with same-day trips averaging $146 and overnight trips $1,508. Accommodations (36%) and restaurant and bar spending (19.5%) were the top expenditure categories. The average trip lasted 3.2 nights.
Surge in Overseas Travel
Overseas travel experienced significant growth, with Canadians taking 2.7 million trips outside North America in Q4 2024, representing a 12.6% year-over-year increase.
Most of these trips (64.1%) were for holiday, leisure, or recreation.
The top three overseas destinations were Mexico (456,000 visits), the Dominican Republic (240,000), and Italy (209,000).
Canadians spent $6.2 billion on overseas travel during the quarter, a 23.9% increase from Q4 2023.
The average trip cost $2,299 and lasted 13.2 nights.
Spending was concentrated in accommodations (42.5%) and restaurants and bars (21.3%).
Full-Year Overview
For the full year 2024, StatCan reported Canadians took 330.8 million trips—292.1 million domestic and 38.7 million international—representing a 3.7% increase over 2023.
Total tourism spending reached $127.7 billion, including $74.8 billion on domestic travel and $52.9 billion on international trips. This marked a 4.9% rise compared to total spending in 2023.
The figures come from Statistics Canada’s National Travel Survey, which tracks the travel behaviours and spending patterns of Canadian residents.
Topics From This Article to Explore
