Time to relax

The preferences and habits of Canadian travellers

Over the decades, travel and tourism have grown to become one of the world’s largest economic sectors, generating about 10% of world GDP. Tourists became a prominent source of revenue for many people. Furthermore, travelling became so popular that some places in the world, like Venice or Dubrovnik, have to deal with the problem of overtourism.

It’s no wonder that now when travelling from one side of the globe to the other is easier than ever, people go on trips more often. According to the World Tourism Organization’s forecasts, international tourist arrivals will reach 1.8 billion by 2030. And while Europe is still the top tourist destination, Asia Pacific is the fastest growing region in recent years.

What impact do these trends have on Canadians? Picodi Analysis Team decided to find out more about the habits and preferences of Canadian travellers. Read further to learn how often and with whom Canadian people travel, how much money they spend, what are the top travel destinations and travellers’ approach to organising trips.

Top destinations

According to the survey results, the majority of Canadians prefer domestic travels over going abroad. 64% of surveyed Canadians declared that they would rather spend their holidays in their country when 36% opted for international travels.  

Among those who decide to travel abroad, the most popular countries to visit were the United States, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France and Cuba.

Once in a blue moon

When Canadians go on their holidays? The shoulder season is gaining its fans around the world since it allows to visit the popular tourist attractions in decent weather and with more affordable prices. Its growing popularity was also noticed by Canadian travellers — 33% of respondents declared that they travel during the shoulder season. 42% chose the high season and the remaining 25% prefer to travel during the budget-friendly low season.

The question remains, how much money Canadians are willing to pay for their leisure? According to the survey results, an average Canadian spends C$742 per travel. However, the respondents have some smart tricks which make the whole venture more affordable. Among the most popular answers, 38% of surveyed Canadians declared that they book their stay ahead of time and 32% buy tickets in advance.

It looks like Canadians prefer longer getaways as 54% of respondents claimed their trips last two weeks or more. 36% said that they spend around a week on holidays and 10% less than a week. On the other hand, 35% of the surveyed Canadians go on holidays once a year and 44%% twice a year or more frequently. 21% of respondents have the opportunity to go on a trip less than once a year.

With whom Canadians spend their holidays? Majority of the surveyed travel with their family or partner (44% and 28% respectively). 17% go with friends and 11% prefer to travel alone.

Explore the unknown

We asked Canadians whether they prefer to go somewhere new or re-visit their favourite places. The results show that most of them (79%) would rather explore new places and only 21% of respondents chose to go back to places they already know.

When it comes to organising a trip, most people prefer to plan in advance — 71% of men and 70% of women.

Sunbathing on the ravishing Bali beaches, exploring the old alleys of Paris or surfing the waves of the Australian coast? When asked about the favourite way of spending holidays, 54% of Canadian respondents chose sightseeing as their favourite activity. It was followed by lying on a beach (26%) and active rest (20%). 

When in Rome, do as the Romans do — the old proverb says. However, there are different approaches when travelling, especially when it comes to means of transportation or food. Among the surveyed Canadians, 52% chose local public transport as their favourite way of transportation, followed by rental cars (24%) and taxis (21%). As for food, 53% try local cuisine, 24% look for places that serve familiar dishes and 13% eat at the hotel.

In theory, taking a holiday is a way to rest from work. However, sometimes it’s impossible to break free from incoming calls or emails. It turns out that 32% of surveyed Canadians are willing to perform job-related tasks during their holidays.

Around the world

We asked travellers from 39 countries how much money they spend on average per holiday. Based on the answers, we prepared a ranking which indicates the biggest spenders.

An average Canadian spends C$742 per person on a holiday, which converted into USD amounts to $551. It places Canada in the middle of the ranking. Australians took first place with $1,505 spent on holiday, followed by Hongkongers and Finns. The most frugal travellers come from Indonesia and Pakistan — they spend $207 and $191 respectively.

How to save money while on holidays?

By organising your holiday trip on your own you can save a lot of money. For example, by booking your accomodation through CheapOair, Expedia, Booking, Hotels or Kiwi, you can earn cashback that can be withdrawn and spent on other things, such as food or attractions. All you have to do is create a Picodi account and enable the cashback feature before booking your place to stay.

Methodology

This report is based on the survey conducted in April and May 2019 among over 20 000 respondents from 39 countries. For the currency conversion, the average exchange for May 2019 was used.

Public Use

Are you willing to share the information and infographics about holidays in Canada and around the world with your readers? Feel free to use all the data and infographics presented in this report for both commercial and non-commercial purposes as long as you indicate the author of the research (Picodi.com) with a link to this subpage.