Canadians are booking their trips further out as travel confidence returns, and the demand for travel is “incredible,” a new report says.
Skyscanner on 25MAR released its latest Horizons report, which is for June to August, 2024. It found that Canadian travellers are returning “to traditional seasonality” this year, with increases in the share of the longest booking window (90+ days), now making up a third of demand.
Across all regions, average trip lengths are slightly down or flat year-over-year for many popular destinations.
TRENDING DESTINATIONS
With a diverse destination mix, Canadian travellers also are showing a growing interest in South America and North Asia, alongside traditional favourites in Europe, indicating a shift towards new experiences and value in 2024 the company said.
There’s a +3% increase to South America, a +2% increase to North Asia and +1% increases to Southeast Asia. The shift in destination mix to South America is likely due to its increasing popularity among US and Canadian travellers, as well as the availability of more affordable flights, Skyscanner said.
In Canada, global destinations are most searched for, with "Everywhere" topping the list, followed by Tokyo and European capitals, including Rome, Madrid, Paris and Athens. Manila and Bangkok also are popular.
Destinations with the biggest year-over-year increases in search volumes reflect a mix of wanting to explore new places, as well as those with new route connections.
For Canadian travellers, top trending destinations include San Carlos de Bariloche in Argentina, Tokyo, Madrid, and Orlando, alongside Medellin, Colombia; Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; Ushuaia, Argentina; Porto Seguro, Brazil; Santiago, Chile; and Tunis, Tunisia.
“Our latest Horizon insights reveal a travel landscape that is both familiar and evolving,” said Zeynep Mutlu Bigalı, Head of Destination Partnerships for Skyscanner. “While traditional seasonality is returning and popular destinations remain in demand, travellers are also seeking value and exploring options closer-to-home.
“Across Skyscanner’s platforms we have seen incredible demand at the start of the year, and we expect this to continue as we head into the summer.”
Skyscanner continues to be a strategic partner for some of the biggest brands, airlines and DMOs in the world; working with companies from across the travel ecosystem including DMOs like Visit California to promote destinations, powering the next generation of AI travel tools such as Bing Chat and Layla, as well as helping airlines promote their unique offers via NDC and launch new routes based on data intelligence.
Read the full report HERE.
