Canadians travel to the U.S. in relatively equal amounts all year long, older Canadians are more likely to use a travel agent and take a group tour, and millennials like trips that look enticing on social media.

A new survey of more than 1,500 Canadians by Development Counsellors International (DCI) looks at how Canadians are travelling these days. It’s a comprehensive report that provides valuable insights for travel agents and folks in the travel or tourism business, covering everything from who heads south for the winter the most to how affluent Canadians book their holidays.

“One has to look no further than the percentage of Canadians currently holding a valid passport (67 per cent versus 46 per cent of U.S. citizens) to see that they are much more likely to travel internationally, as well as to prioritize travel, versus their neighbors to the south,” DCI said in its report, titled Capturing the Canadian Consumer: Insights into the Path to Purchase of the Canadian Travelers. Given this, it makes sense that the marketing messages and plans that work in the U.S. may not be effective in Canada.”

While the Canadian snowbird is a familiar cliché, especially this time of year, the study found that 22 per cent of Canadians said they don’t care what time of year they travel. In fact, the number of respondents who travel in the first half of the year (39 per cent) was almost identical who reported their trips typically occur in the last six months of the year (37 per cent).

“Canadians as a whole value family time and family vacations, and this is particularly true among affluent Canadians,” DCI said. “Affluent Canadians are 27 per cent more likely to have taken a family vacation during their last international leisure trip versus the overall population.”

The report also said affluent Canadians (those with incomes greater than $200,000) are also more likely to have taken a beach or romantic-themed vacation, a city break, a cruise and/or an extended business trip relative to the overall population. As one might expect, affluent Canadians spent significantly more, 38 per cent on average, during their most recent trips, relative to those making less than $200,000 per year.

Those under the $200,000 mark are most likely to travel between July and September, while more affluent Canadians aren’t as sensitive to travelling at certain times of the year, the study indicated.

DCI also found that Canadians with more cash in their jeans are more likely to seek out historic sites, museums, culinary experiences/chef’s tables/wine tasting, golf, and VIP access to festivals/events on vacations. In addition
“Though trips taken by affluent Canadians were likely booked in one of three ways (directly through the provider, or through an online or physical travel agent), these respondents were more likely to have booked directly through the provider (i.e. directly with the accommodation provider, airline etc.) versus the general population,” a valuable insight for agents.

Detailed numbers weren’t released on the subject, but the study said that stereotypes about millennials and social media are true and that millennial generation travellers are “more likely to select a destination that plays well on social media.”

DCI researchers found that millennials also are more likely to be interested in the following relative to any other age group: festivals and special events (35 per cent), diving (16 per cent) and sailing or yachting (13 per cent), and that they’re more likely to travel on solo vacations, which is probably not a surprise.

On the other hand, respondents over the age of 45 years are more likely to be interested in touring a historic site (64 percent) or a museum (43 per cent). In fact, the tendency to visit museums while traveling internationally steadily increases with age.

Travel guidebooks and travel agents tend to be relied upon more heavily by those over the age of 65 (relative to any other age group). This age group is also more likely to travel with a tour group, the study found.

“While there are no discernible differences by age group regarding when respondents research car trips or short-haul trips, respondents between the ages of 18 and 34 research potential long-haul destinations much closer to their departure date (within three to six months) versus other age cohorts. Conversely, respondents over the age of 65 are more likely to research long-haul destinations six months to one year before their intended departures.”
The research found that folks 65 and older are more likely to select January to March (34 per cent) for outbound trips, while those under 65 - perhaps still working or with children at home - are more likely to select July to September (25 per cent)

“Strengthening outreach to the travel trade (both tour operators and travel agents) heavily utilized by older Canadians is also important. Given the time of year older consumers are traveling – January to March – long-haul destinations should be marketing to this audience six to twelve months prior,” the report suggested.
As for who’s going where, the study found that respondents from Manitoba and Saskatchewan are more likely to travel between January and March versus residents of other provinces. No doubt the weather on the Prairies has something to do with that.

In Ontario, 51 per cent of respondents said accessibility by car is an important consideration when planning international trips, which bodes well for U.S. destinations; especially places within driving distance of major Canadian cities. New York, Boston, Chicago and Seattle come to mind, as do increasingly popular U.S. destinations such as Pittsburgh and Portland.

The study found that Quebecers are more likely to have gone on romantic getaways (24 per cent) and multi-generational trips (10.5 per cent) versus the overall population. They also found Quebec residents are just as likely to have previously traveled to Western Europe as they have to the United States.