Luxury travel network Virtuoso says research has identified when, where and why upscale Canadians will be venturing in 2023.

In Virtuoso’s 2022 Brand and Travel Trends Research, conducted in collaboration with YouGov, more than 500 Canadian travellers were surveyed. The majority – 75% – listed relaxation and disconnecting as the primary incentive for taking a leisure trip, followed by adventure, which is almost twice as important for Canadians than for global travellers (41 percent versus 25 percent).

Additional revelations include an affinity for sunny destinations (well, we kind of knew that), expedition cruises and a willingness to spend big and stay longer.

Thawing Out

Virtuoso’s study showed 61% of Canadian respondents preferred beach vacations, followed by city exploration (47%). Canadians are equally as likely to travel to Europe as they are to travel within their own country, and they showed a preference for the Caribbean or West Indies (36% versus 20% globally) and Mexico (30% versus 16% globally), likely due to a desire to escape to warmer climates during the winter months.

Family Travel: Good For Everyone

Canadians indicated the most popular ways to travel are with a spouse or significant other and multi-generational family travel. Travelling with school-age children is consistently popular. Over half of those surveyed believe travel is important to the development of children under 18.

Spending Big, Staying Longer

Relative to 2019, travellers plan to spend 12% more in 2023 and the anticipated annual spend for Virtuoso-advised travellers in 2023 is a remarkable $20,000 per person. While Virtuoso clients took about the same number of trips in the past year as other travellers, Virtuoso-advised travellers took longer trips, spent more nights in hotels, rentals and cruises, and skewed more towards international trips.

Travel Advisors vs. DIY: No Contest

Canadians favour using travel advisors more than other travellers globally, and 73% of those surveyed typically research a trip two to eight months in advance. They are also twice as likely to care about creating a travel experience that best fits their expectations over price (66% percent Virtuoso-advised travellers versus 33% DIY).

Non-advised travellers spent $8,400 CAD per person on travel in 2022, while Virtuoso’s Canadian clients spent $19,600 CAD per person – which Virtuoso says means they prioritize travel more than others and also highly value their travel advisor. Surveyed travellers cite special benefits and values, complimentary perks and upgrades, VIP treatment and rare access, advisors’ firsthand expertise and a global network of agencies as the top reasons for booking with a Virtuoso travel advisor.

“Virtuoso has more than 2,300 travel advisors in Canada located coast-to-coast, and this number has grown by 13% since 2019,” said General Manager, Virtuoso Canada Una O’Leary.

“Travellers look to advisors to save them time, provide expert guidance and offer an extra layer of protection if something goes wrong.”

Top Destinations for Canadians In 2023

Virtuoso tapped into its data warehouse of more than US$63.6 billion in transactions to determine the top destinations of 2023, as determined by Canada-based travellers:

Mexico

Canada

United States

Dominican Republic

United Kingdom

Jamaica

Italy

France

Australia

Portugal