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Graphic Truth: Has travel bounced back from COVID?

In the not-too-distant past, the COVID-19 pandemic dealt a severe blow to international travel in the US and Canada, causing overseas trips for citizens of both countries to plunge. In 2020, international travel from the US dropped by 76% compared to the previous year, while Canadian outbound travel declined by 74%.

By 2022, international travel from both countries showed significant signs of recovery. Fast forward to today, with pent-up demand plus the removal of pandemic restrictions fueling a robust recovery in overseas trips for both nations, with numbers in the US surpassing pre-pandemic highs.

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French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and businessman Jared Kushner, along with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and otherEuropean leaders, pose for a group photo at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, December 15, 2025.
Kay Nietfeld/Pool via REUTERS

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