preloadCanadian travel trends

With the launch of our 2nd Annual Holiday Travel Hacker Guide, we tracked travel trends for the US and Canada to identify top destinations, when to book and how much travelers could expect to pay. This gives us a pretty good sense for how travelers at large are planning for the season, but when we take a deeper dive into our data, we noticed some unique trends among Canadian travelers.

  1. Going the distance.

    Canadians appear to be more willing to stretch their wings this year versus last. With the pound’s drop in valuation post-Brexit, once-pricey London now looks much more affordable. On the other hand, overall travel to neighboring US destinations was down by 30%.

  2. Beach, please.

    Canucks are just saying “no” to destinations that mimic the frosty winters of the Great North. Instead, sunny locales like Cancun and Honolulu are trending for holiday travel.

  3. I’ll do it tomorrow.

    One thing we did notice is that Canadians are generally a few weeks behind travelers in the US when it comes to planning their travel. Our Holiday Travel Hacker Guide has When to Book guidelines for all of our destinations — use these to be sure you’re not procrastinating a deal away.

  4. No typecasting here.

    While we explored and identified general trends in what destinations are piquing Canadians’ interest, we also found that the country’s major urban hubs have their own, different styles when it comes to trending destinations:

  • Vancouver. Those in the ‘Couve are looking for the island life: Honolulu was the top trending destination. Following closely behind were more exotic destinations like Hong Kong and Dubai.
  • Edmonton. Those from Alberta’s capital aren’t traveling very far this holiday. Toronto was seeing the biggest spike in interest, followed by warmer cities like Cancun, LA and Orlando.
  • Winnipeg. Manitobans are seeking the sun this winter with destinations like Fort Lauderdale, Honolulu and LA decidedly on-trend.
  • Calgary. Not a single domestic destination is trending for this cosmopolitan city in Alberta. Instead, Calgarians are hitting the beaches in Hawaii or slurping soba in Tokyo.
  • Ottawa. Hello, Sunshine Coast. For four years, Fort Lauderdale has claimed the top destination spot for Ottawans. Orlando, Tampa and Miami follow close behind.
  • Toronto. High fives to travelers in this major metropolis for having diverse tastes. At the #1 and #2 spots this year, New Delhi and London are the most popular destinations. Also on the list are locales like Costa Rica, Hong Kong and Paris.
  • Montreal. Bien-sûr, Montréal. La Cite de Lumière (aka Paris) is the top destination in l’hiver for les Quebecois. But for those not looking for a European vacation, popular spots Fort Lauderdale, Costa Rica and Honolulu round out the top 4.

So, put down the Double Double and pack up your suitcase, because the time to plan your holiday getaway is now!