The majority of Canadians are planning to vacation closer to home this summer, according to a new Leger Poll released this week.
57% of those polled planned to travel within their own province, while only 10% planned to visit locations outside North America. Travelling within Canada accounted for 28% of trips while visits to the United States were 16%.
That data lines up with the demand RV rental company CanaDream spoke about during an interview with TravelPulse Canada last week.
However, it is important to note that domestic travel was already on the rise pre-COVID, with Canadian residents making 38.6 million trips within Canada in January and February 2020, up 9.1% from the same period in 2019.
The reasons for staying home can't completely be attributed to hiccups in the airline industry, however. While 53% of respondents blamed cancelled flights, delays, and long lineups at airports as a concern, 43% responded they were either "not very" or "not at all" concerning. Ontarians and Albertans and those in the Suburbs aged 35-54 reported the highest levels of concern.
43% of respondents blamed staffing shortages for the debacles at the airport. Only 18% cited the issues being faced at airports and passport offices would significantly change summer vacation plans.
Last week, the Government of Canada announced new measures to help alleviate the issues being faced at Canadian airports. According to the government, June 2022 air departure traffic in Canada was 58 times higher than it was in spring 2020. In comparison, global travel volumes are up more than eight times since the low point during the pandemic, and airports across the world are feeling the impact.
Also important to note is that in 2022, only about 70% of Canadians have a passport, which means 30% of Canadians aren't currently able to travel internationally.
The full Leger study can be found here.
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