Preliminary Statistics Canada data published 18 October show that Canada welcomed 5.3 million international arrivals by air and automobile in September 2026, up 9.5 % year-over-year. Travel from the United States led the surge, with 1.8 million entries – a 17.2 % jump – fuelled by both Labour-Day leisure trips and a weaker Canadian dollar that made business travel cheaper. Canadian residents returning from trips abroad also increased, logging 2.9 million same-day and overnight returns. Overseas visitors (non-US) rose 7.3 %, continuing an eight-month streak of growth and indicating that visa-processing bottlenecks seen in 2024–25 have largely eased. For airlines, hotels and corporate-travel managers the numbers confirm that demand has not only normalised but exceeded pre-pandemic seasonal patterns. CBSA reported that 82 % of air passengers with checked luggage cleared customs within 20 minutes, suggesting that earlier staffing investments are paying off. From a mobility-policy angle, the data provide IRCC with evidence to calibrate visitor-visa volumes and airport biometrics capacity. The agency recently told Parliament it plans to roll out additional primary-inspection kiosks at Toronto and Vancouver by mid-2027. Meanwhile, employers should anticipate tighter hotel inventory around major convention centres and budget accordingly. Statistics Canada cautions that the figures are preliminary and subject to revision once NEXUS highway-crossing data are finalised. Nonetheless, the sustained rebound strengthens Ottawa’s case for broadening visa-exempt eTA eligibility – a proposal currently out for stakeholder comment.
