Mexico recorded more sudden deaths and violent crimes involving Canadian travelers than any other country last year, according to a federal report, despite drawing far fewer visitors than the United States.Blacklock's Reporter says the Department of Foreign Affairs’ Annual Consular Data Report found that 204 Canadians died suddenly while in Mexico in 2024, the highest number of any foreign destination. The U.S., which saw more than 10 times the number of Canadian visits, reported 111 such deaths. Other countries with high death counts included Hong Kong (87), the Dominican Republic (79), and Thailand (75).The report said most deaths were due to natural causes, though some were the result of accidents, drowning, transport incidents, or suicide. In total, 1,503 Canadians died unexpectedly while abroad last year..Mexico also topped the list for reported cases of violent crime against Canadian travelers, with 52 of the 297 incidents reported worldwide. These crimes included assault, homicide, and kidnapping.“Mexico remained the top country where Canadians required services as victims of crime,” the department wrote. The two countries had offered mutual visa-free travel until Canada reimposed visa requirements on Mexican nationals in February 2024, citing a sharp rise in asylum claims — 23,995 in 2023 alone.The U.S. still led in the number of Canadians arrested abroad, with 320 of the 1,384 global arrests last year, followed by Mexico (163) and China (99). The total number of arrests represented a 20% increase from the previous year..Canadians reported 15,974 lost or stolen passports while overseas in 2024 and made more than 242,000 calls to the federal Emergency Watch centre. There were 1,069 reported medical emergencies involving accidents.The most popular travel destinations for Canadians last year were the United States (25.6 million visits), followed by Mexico (1.9 million), the Dominican Republic (876,000), France (746,000), Cuba (700,000), the United Kingdom (615,000), Italy (588,000), Spain (430,000), and Germany (334,000).“The United States was by far the top destination” prior to travel boycotts tied to U.S. tariffs, the report noted. Business trips accounted for 2.5 million Canadian visits to the U.S.
