Cross-border travel still less than half pre-9/11 levels, despite June rise

OTTAWA (CP) - Same-day car trips in both directions across the Canada-U.S. border increased for the fourth straight month in June. But levels remained at less than half the 2.3 million same-day car trips from the United States observed each month between January and August 2001, prior to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Americans made a million same-day car trips to Canada, a 2.5 per cent increase over May, while Canadian residents made just under two million same-day car trips to the United States, up 2.3 per cent.

Overall, United States-to-Canada travel rose 1.3 per cent over May to 2.3 million trips.

All categories of overnight travel from the United States increased, except overnight air travel, which fell 2.1 per cent.

Canadians took more than 3.4 million trips to the United States in June, up 2.1 per cent from the previous month as all categories of overnight trips increased.

Canadians made an estimated 606,000 trips to overseas countries in June, unchanged from the record high in May.

Taking into account travel to both the United States and overseas countries, Canadians made more than four million trips abroad in June, up 1.8 per cent from May.

Overseas residents made an estimated 392,000 trips to Canada in June, a 1.6 per cent increase over May.

Travel was up for seven of Canada's top 12 overseas markets. Travel from India rose 7.3 per cent, the largest gain, while travel from South Korea fell 5.2, the largest decline.

© The Canadian Press, 2007