by Jim Byers
Last updated: 12:05 PM ET, Tue April 17, 2018
Canadians are expected to take a record 26.5 million trips out of the country this year, says a report from the Conference Board of Canada.
The board's Outbound Canada report for 2018 predicts 16 million Canadians will visit the U.S. this year, an increase of roughly 500,000 from 2017's expected numbers. That comes despite the so-called President Trump effect.
The report also says another 10.5 million Canadians will head out on overseas trips this year, with Mexico and Europe high on the list and a rapid growth in Asia visits. That would be an increase of about 500,000 on last year's overseas trips, the board said.
The most popular U.S. destination for Canadians continues to be New York City. The report found that 49.7 per cent of Canadians aged 18-34 listed The Big Apple as a place they want to visit. NYC also was the top spot for folks aged 35-54 (42.1 per cent) and for Canadians 55 and older (27.4 per cent).
Las Vegas was second for all groups: 49.2 per cent for 18-34-year-olds, 41.2 per cent for those 35-54 and 26.1 per cent for Canadians 55 and older (26.1 per cent).
For those aged 18-34, Miami was in third place (39.3 per cent interested in visiting), followed by Los Angeles (39.1), Orlando (37.2) and Maui (31.1).
For Canadians in the 35-54 age bracket, the third most popular potential destination in the U.S. was Orlando (29.7), followed by Los Angeles (25.8), Maui (24.6) and Boston (22.5).
For Canadians 55 and up, the number three spot after NYC and Vegas was Boston (17.5), followed by Maui (15.9), Cape Cod (15.1) and The Florida Keys (14.9).
The Conference Board report showed interesting trends for direct seat capacity from Canada. From 2016 to 2017, capacity to California grew 10.3 per cent, rising from 2.66 million to 2.93 million. But capacity from Canada to Florida fell 5.3 per cent, dropping from 2.33 million to 2.21 million.
The report found that the Caribbean lost market share for Canada in both 2016 and 2017, while Mexico posted gains. However, the report also noted that volume of arrivals in the Caribbean has recovered from the 2016 downturn.
Cuba's performance dipped because of US embargo issues, weather and other factors. But the Conference Board said Canadians still love Mexico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica the best.
The report found that 40 per cent of all Canadian outbound travel is to Europe, an area that has strengthened since 2013. The most popular destinations remain France, Italy, the UK, Spain and Germany, "but non-traditional destinations (are) experiencing significant growth," the report authors stated.
Summer remains the most popular season for visits, but winter trips to Europe are growing in popularity. I often recommend Europe lovers try visiting in winter or late fall, or perhaps early spring, as prices for both air fare and hotels can be lower and crowds are most definitely down.
Finally, the Conference Board study noted "significant growth in Canadian arrivals in both Asia and Oceania," with smaller arrival volume than other regions but longer stays and higher yield, which is worth noting.
Direct capacity from Canada to Asia and Oceania should reach 4.7 million seats this year, an increase of 74 per cent since 2014. Most of the new service is to China, India and South Korea, the report said.
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