When Canadians leave the country for a vacation beyond the United States, one destination stands comfortably above the rest: Mexico.

New data from Statistics Canada shows Mexico was once again the most visited overseas country by Canadian residents during the first quarter of 2026.

Between January and March, Canadians made approximately 1.3 million visits to Mexico.

That put Mexico far ahead of the Dominican Republic, which ranked second with approximately 441,000 Canadian visits, followed by Costa Rica with 193,000.

And Canadians’ love affair with Mexico appears to be getting even stronger.

More Canadians Are Heading to Mexico

Canadian visits to Mexico increased by approximately 51,000 during the first three months of 2026 compared with the same period one year earlier.

The numbers continue a trend that has been developing for years.

In 2024, Canadians made approximately 2.18 million visits to Mexico, making it the second-most visited foreign country overall behind the United States and easily Canada’s favourite overseas destination.

Mexico was followed that year by the Dominican Republic, United Kingdom and Italy.

The United States remains the most visited international destination for Canadians overall, largely because of the enormous amount of cross-border travel between the two countries.

But when Statistics Canada separates the United States from overseas destinations, Mexico is No. 1.

Mexico Is Benefiting as Canadians Travel Less to the U.S.

The latest numbers are particularly interesting because Canadian travel habits have been changing.

During the first quarter of 2026, Canadians made approximately 5.5 million visits to the United States, a decline of 10.6% compared with the same period in 2025.

Meanwhile, Canadian trips to overseas countries increased 6.2% to approximately 4.6 million.

Canadians also spent more than $10 billion while travelling overseas during the first three months of the year, an increase of 16.7%.

Mexico has been one of the countries benefiting from that shift.

Why Canadians Love Mexico

For Canadians escaping months of cold weather, Mexico offers an obvious combination.

Warm weather.

Beaches.

Food.

Culture.

Relatively short flights.

And an enormous selection of direct routes from Canadian cities.

Cancún remains particularly popular, while Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos, Mexico City and the growing Riviera Maya region continue attracting Canadian travellers.

Mexico’s own tourism statistics have also demonstrated just how important Canada has become to the country’s tourism industry.

During the first seven months of 2025 alone, approximately 1.8 million Canadian residents arrived in Mexico by air, an increase of nearly 12% compared with the previous year.

Most arrived through Cancún and Puerto Vallarta.

Canada’s Favourite Latin American Destination

The numbers also highlight the enormous connection between Canada and Latin America that exists through tourism.

Millions of Canadians travel south every year, and no Latin American country attracts more of them than Mexico.

The Dominican Republic remains another major favourite, while destinations such as Costa Rica continue growing.

But Mexico operates on another level.

With 1.3 million Canadian visits recorded in only the first three months of 2026, Mexico remains Canada’s favourite overseas getaway — and that relationship appears to be getting even stronger.