Five Key Canadian Leisure Travel Trends

Canadian travelers are unique. Their behavior and travel patterns set them apart from other travelers around the globe. And while they are frequently compared to U.S. or European consumers, travel companies that assume they are the same, do so at their own risk. It is essential to understand Canadian travel trends, and how they differ from those in other parts of the world.

Five trends that set Canadian travelers apart:

• Canadian leisure travelers take shorter trips in the peak summer season, and longer, more expensive trips in the colder winter and spring months.
• More than one third of Canadian travel is now booked online. Canada trails markets like the U.S. and U.K., however online travel penetration in Canada will continue to increase through 2011.
• Cruise is the fastest growing travel segment in Canada, and is projected to reach nearly CAD$1.4 billion by 2011. Canadians are taking advantage of lower cruise prices in the wake of the U.S. downturn.
• Canadian travelers may be online shoppers, but they are also multi-channel purchasers. Approximately 27% of Canadian travelers still say they book through traditional travel agencies.
• Travelers from different provinces and territories prefer different destinations. Travelers from British Columbia are significantly more likely to visit the U.S., Mexico and Asia. Quebecers are significantly less likely to visit the U.S.

Travel companies cannot rely on a one-size-fits-all strategy when targeting Canada. They need to be aware of Canadian travel trends, including online travel dynamics, consumer behavior and Canadian travel website traffic patterns. PhoCusWright delivers a comprehensive analysis of the Canadian travel market in a series of reports and a pre-recorded Online Event - order the Canada package now to save 15%.