Canada Steps Up With Mexico, Brazil and Other Countries in Fuelling New York Tourism Rebound as Arrivals Surge Amid Nine Consecutive Months of Decline in 2026

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Canada steps up with Mexico, Brazil and other countries in fuelling New York tourism rebound as arrivals surge in September 2026 amid nine consecutive months of decline in overall international arrivals. Driven by improving travel demand, Canada recorded 7.33% growth, Mexico 10.90%, Brazil 16.96% and Colombia 10.01%, signalling renewed momentum despite New York’s cumulative 9.60% decline in foreign-originating arrivals.

New York’s international tourism market is showing signs of recovery as Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Colombia recorded year-over-year increases in September 2026, despite the city’s overall foreign-originating arrival figures remaining below 2025 levels for nine consecutive months. Canada registered 7.33% growth, Mexico rose 10.90%, Brazil increased 16.96% and Colombia gained 10.01%, highlighting improving demand from four important markets across North and South America.

The September figures reveal an important shift in New York’s international travel performance. According to the supplied foreign-originating arrivals data, the four countries collectively generated 128,721 recorded arrivals in September 2026, compared with 117,286 during the corresponding month of 2025. This represents an increase of 11,435 arrivals, or approximately 9.75%.

The recovery comes against a challenging backdrop. New York recorded 701,271 total foreign-originating arrivals in September, compared with 733,922 a year earlier. Although the annual decline narrowed to 4.45%, the overall market remained below its previous-year level.

Across January–September 2026, New York registered 5,876,114 foreign-originating arrivals, compared with 6,500,059 during the same period of 2025. The reduction of 623,945 arrivals, equivalent to 9.60%, demonstrates that the destination continues to face a substantial cumulative shortfall.

Nevertheless, the September growth from Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Colombia provides evidence of improving performance within selected international origin markets. Their combined increase contrasts with the wider decline and suggests that different parts of New York’s international visitor economy are recovering at different speeds.

September 2026 Brings a Rebound From Four Important International Markets

The strongest development in September was the simultaneous growth recorded across all four origin markets. Brazil delivered the highest percentage increase, while Canada contributed the largest number of arrivals.

Canada remained the largest of the four markets, contributing approximately 54.4% of their combined September arrivals. Brazil recorded the fastest percentage growth, followed by Mexico and Colombia.

The distinction between arrival volume and growth rate is important. Canada’s increase of 4,782 arrivals was larger than Brazil’s gain of 3,057, even though Brazil recorded a much higher percentage increase.

The combined growth also highlights an important feature of New York’s international travel market. A destination can record overall annual declines while individual origin countries deliver positive results.

In September, the four markets generated 11,435 more arrivals than a year earlier, but New York’s total foreign-originating series still recorded 32,651 fewer arrivals. This means that weaker performance across other origin markets outweighed the gains recorded by Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Colombia.

The figures therefore indicate a selective recovery rather than a complete turnaround in New York’s international tourism performance.

New York’s Nine-Month Tourism Decline Reveals the Scale of the Recovery Challenge

New York’s overall foreign-originating arrival figures present a different picture from the September recovery recorded in the four selected markets. Every month between January and September 2026 remained below its corresponding 2025 level, indicating sustained weakness in the wider international arrival series.

The year began with 575,229 arrivals in January, down 10.27% from 2025. February recorded another double-digit decline of 10.73%, while March showed a smaller reduction of 6.45%. The downturn deepened in April, when arrivals fell 14%, representing the sharpest percentage decline of the nine-month period.

Although May and June showed comparatively smaller annual reductions, July and August brought renewed pressure. August recorded 755,466 arrivals, down 12.40% from the previous year, before September’s decline narrowed to 4.45%.

New York Total Foreign-Originating Arrivals, January–September 2026

The figures reveal that New York’s international arrival challenges were not confined to one season. Declines occurred during winter, spring and summer, suggesting that the weakness extended across several periods of travel demand.

April produced the largest absolute reduction, with 108,123 fewer arrivals than in 2025. August followed closely with a decline of 106,968 arrivals, while July recorded 91,483 fewer.

Together, these three months accounted for almost half of the nine-month numerical shortfall.

September’s improvement is therefore significant because the annual decline narrowed considerably from August. However, it remains too early to conclude that the broader market has entered a sustained recovery.

For New York’s hotels, attractions, restaurants and tourism businesses, the central issue is whether the improvements seen in selected origin markets can extend across the wider international visitor base.

Canada – September Arrivals Rise 7.33% as New York Regains Momentum From Its Largest Selected Market

Canada provided the largest volume of arrivals among the four countries examined, making its September recovery particularly important to New York’s international travel performance.

Canadian-origin arrivals reached 69,983 in September 2026, compared with 65,201 in September 2025. The increase of 4,782 arrivals represented annual growth of 7.33%.

The improvement followed a mixed period for Canadian arrivals. January began with a 10.68% decline, followed by an 8.87% reduction in February. March showed a smaller decline of 2.31%, before April recorded positive growth of 5.83%.

However, the recovery did not continue uninterrupted. Arrivals fell below previous-year levels again from May through August, including an 8.57% decline in July.

September marked another return to positive growth and the strongest annual percentage increase for Canada during the nine-month period.

Canada-Origin Arrivals in New York, January–September 2026

Canada generated 517,154 recorded arrivals during January–September 2026, compared with 536,380 during the same period in 2025. The reduction of 19,226 arrivals represented a 3.58% annual decline.

The nine-month performance demonstrates that Canada’s September recovery was encouraging but insufficient to reverse the earlier losses.

New York remains an important destination for Canadian travellers because of its geographic proximity, extensive air connections, cultural attractions, shopping opportunities and business travel market.

Manhattan’s entertainment districts, Broadway productions, museums and internationally recognised landmarks contribute to the city’s appeal. New York also attracts Canadians travelling for conferences, professional meetings, family visits and short leisure breaks.

The September increase could therefore be relevant to several segments of the visitor economy. However, the arrival figures do not identify whether the growth came primarily from leisure tourism, business travel or other journey purposes.

From an industry perspective, Canada’s recovery is important because it represents the largest numerical improvement among the four selected markets.

Nevertheless, one positive month cannot establish a lasting turnaround. Continued annual growth during the final quarter would provide stronger evidence that Canadian-origin travel demand is stabilising.

Mexico – Three Consecutive Months of Growth Signal a Stronger Late-Summer Recovery

Mexico recorded one of the clearest changes in momentum among New York’s selected international origin markets.

Mexican-origin arrivals increased 10.90% in September 2026, reaching 23,295 compared with 21,006 a year earlier. This represented an additional 2,289 arrivals and marked the third consecutive month of positive annual growth.

The improvement is especially notable because Mexico experienced year-over-year declines during the first six months of 2026.

January arrivals fell 19.34%, followed by a 19.04% decline in February. March and April remained weak, with April recording the steepest annual reduction at 20.90%.

May continued the negative trend, although the decline moderated to 15.18%. June brought further improvement, with arrivals falling just 4.55% compared with the previous year.

The turning point came in July, when arrivals increased 9.93%. August maintained positive growth of 6.73%, followed by September’s stronger 10.90% increase.

Mexico-Origin Arrivals in New York, January–September 2026

Despite the third-quarter recovery, Mexico recorded 208,400 arrivals during the first nine months of 2026, compared with 226,692 in 2025.

The shortfall of 18,292 arrivals represented an 8.07% annual decline.

However, the third-quarter figures show that the market has recovered some of its earlier losses. Between July and September, Mexico generated 78,767 arrivals, compared with 72,165 during the corresponding period of 2025. This represents growth of approximately 9.15%.

The improvement across three consecutive months is more persuasive than an isolated positive result because it indicates sustained positive annual comparisons during the latest quarter.

New York attracts Mexican visitors through its cultural attractions, luxury retail, entertainment industry, business events and international connections.

The city’s tourism businesses could benefit from stronger demand if increased arrivals translate into hotel bookings, shopping expenditure and longer stays.

Nevertheless, the figures do not establish the causes of Mexico’s recovery. Changes in airline capacity, travel costs, consumer demand and seasonal travel patterns may influence arrivals, but further evidence would be required to attribute the growth to any specific factor.

Mexico’s performance demonstrates that an origin market can remain below its previous-year cumulative total while showing a clear improvement in recent months.

Brazil – Strong September Growth Helps Lift Nine-Month Arrivals Above 2025 Levels

Brazil stands out in New York’s international arrival data because it achieved positive cumulative growth despite the broader decline in total foreign-originating arrivals.

Brazilian-origin arrivals reached 21,082 in September 2026, compared with 18,025 in September 2025. The increase of 3,057 arrivals represented growth of 16.96%, the strongest September percentage increase among the four selected countries.

Brazil also recorded positive annual growth in August and July, extending its late-summer improvement to three consecutive months.

Unlike Canada and Mexico, however, Brazil’s nine-month performance was already positive before September’s contribution.

Brazil-Origin Arrivals in New York, January–September 2026

Brazil recorded 185,719 arrivals during January–September 2026, compared with 175,978 during the same period of 2025.

The increase of 9,741 arrivals represented annual growth of 5.54%, making Brazil one of the stronger-performing markets within this four-country comparison.

The third-quarter figures were particularly encouraging. July, August and September generated a combined 61,102 arrivals, compared with 53,810 in 2025.

That represents an increase of 7,292 arrivals, or approximately 13.55%.

Brazil’s growth is relevant to New York’s tourism industry because the city has longstanding appeal among Brazilian visitors seeking shopping, cultural experiences, entertainment, gastronomy and premium accommodation.

New York’s international reputation also supports business travel, professional events and family-related journeys.

However, the arrival figures do not establish whether the increase reflects higher leisure spending or changes in the composition of travellers.

The stronger performance does suggest that Brazil could remain an important market for destination marketing organisations and travel businesses seeking to diversify international demand.

Brazil’s experience also illustrates how a market can grow despite a wider downturn. While New York’s total foreign-originating arrivals fell 9.60%, Brazilian-origin arrivals increased 5.54%, demonstrating that the overall decline was not shared equally across countries.

Colombia – Three Months of Consecutive Growth Strengthen New York’s South American Travel Market

Colombia delivered another positive result for New York in September, recording 14,361 arrivals compared with 13,054 during the corresponding month of 2025.

The increase of 1,307 arrivals represented growth of 10.01%, extending Colombia’s positive annual performance to three consecutive months.

Colombia’s arrival pattern differed from Mexico’s because the market recorded several positive months during the first half of the year.

January began with a 9.74% annual decline, but February increased 8.20% and March rose 16.86%. April returned to negative territory before May recorded another substantial increase of 16.30%.

June brought a modest 1.94% decline, followed by sustained growth during July, August and September.

Colombia-Origin Arrivals in New York, January–September 2026

Colombia recorded 129,153 arrivals during January–September 2026, compared with 123,232

Canada steps up with Mexico, Brazil and other countries in fuelling New York tourism rebound as arrivals surge in September 2026 amid nine consecutive months of decline, driven by growth of 7.33%, 10.90% and 16.96%, respectively.

In conclusion, Canada steps up with Mexico, Brazil and other countries in fuelling New York tourism rebound as arrivals surge in September 2026 amid nine consecutive months of decline. Growth of 7.33% from Canada, 10.90% from Mexico, 16.96% from Brazil and 10.01% from Colombia reflects strengthening international travel demand. Despite these gains, New York’s overall arrivals remain 9.60% below 2025 levels, highlighting a selective recovery driven by improving connectivity, renewed visitor interest and diverse international markets.