A new survey reveals the bad - but probably not surprising - news that the majority of Canadians have zero interest in travelling long distance this summer.
A Nanos survey commissioned by CTVNews shows that over 60 per cent of Canadians “aren’t making any international travel plans at all.”
Another nearly 10 per cent reveal changing plans, with 6 per cent saying that they’d made plans to travel abroad this season - but cancelled - and 3 per cent on top of that saying they had booked trips overseas, and are still considering cancelling.
Only 12 intrepid per cent of those surveyed “remain undeterred with their travel plans and have no intention to cancel them,” says the report.
The survey was conducted between 30JUN and 04JUL, via both land and mobile phone, with results weighted for age, gender and geography.
“Canadians aged 55 plus are most likely to say they have no interest in travelling internationally this summer (69 per cent) compared to younger Canadians (18-34: 53 per cent; 35-54: 58 per cent),” the survey reveals. “Those aged 18 to 34 are more than twice as likely to say they want to travel internationally but have no plans (22 per cent) than those aged 55 plus (9 per cent).”
These survey results come as media reports abound of: Canada’s airports and airlines ranking among the world’s worst for delays; reduced summer flight schedules; chaos in lost and delayed luggage, prompting Air Canada to ban pets from flying in the baggage compartment until at least the fall; and record-setting delays in getting new and renewed passports.
On top of that, “inflation at a 40-year record of 7.7 per cent,” has been predicted to affect many Canadians’ discretionary spending on things like travel.
There’s More: Another Wave of COVID
The potential of an autumn wave COVID apparently also affected travel decision-making, with a majority of survey respondents worried that a fall wave of COVID would see the return of off-putting travel restrictions.
Forget about a fall wave of COVID. The survey was conducted even before new warnings of a summer wave of the pandemic surfaced. As Open Jaw reports, Canadian health officials say a summer wave has begun and are warning Canadians to exercise caution when making even domestic travel and leisure plans - which may dampen international travel planning even more.
