Canadians are spending more of their vacation time overseas, with travel to long-haul destinations like Japan, Spain, and France surging in Q2 2025. Statistics Canada reports Japan saw the biggest jump, with visits up 88%—an extra 110,000 trips—while France climbed 49%, adding 105,000 visits.
Mexico remained the top destination, welcoming 471,000 Canadian trips, followed by France (319,000) and the United Kingdom (279,000). Not all markets benefited: visits to the Dominican Republic and Cuba fell more than 20%, affected by Hurricane Melissa in late October 2025, while Thailand recorded the steepest decline, down 67%, amid rising crime concerns.
Despite the long-haul surge, Canadians are still exploring closer to home. Domestic trips reached 90.6 million in Q2, up 10.9% year-over-year, with same-day travel climbing 12.4% to 58.6 million and overnight trips rising 8.4% to 32.0 million. Domestic tourism spending totaled $20.3 billion.
Meanwhile, visits to the U.S. continue to slide, down 21.6% compared with Q2 2024, showing no signs of reversing anytime soon.
AloJapan.com