A new survey from travel technology provider, Travelport, finds that Canadians are among the world’s least digitally dependent travellers when planning and taking their trips. For example, Canadian travellers have been slow to use smartphones for booking travel or boarding a plane, with only 59 per cent saying digital boarding passes and e-tickets make travelling easier, compared to the global average of 70 per cent.

Travelport's survey, the world’s first Digital Traveller Global Rankings, are based on a combination of the main indicators of digital usage for travel-related purposes by travellers in each country. Canadians are ranked 15 out of 19 - in the bottom third - based on their reliance on mobile, internet and digital technology for travel-related purposes.

Did you know that on average, travellers access 16 categories of apps for every journey they take. But is that too much? Is there too much information to absorb? In this digital age, knowledge is power, but are Canadian travellers feeling overwhelmed with all this information, leading to confusion and indecision? Travelport believes there's an opportunity to further engage with Canadian travellers and increase adoption of mobile technology.

“Providing relevant and timely digital travel tools and content is no longer a nice-to-have, but an essential means of reaching and satisfying the modern Canadian traveller.” said Maurita Baker, Travelport’s vice president for Canada. “Travelport’s research shows opportunities exist to increase Canadians’ adoption and use of digital travel technologies, from the moment they search to the moment they return from their trip. As a technology company and a world leader in digital and mobile capabilities, Travelport’s platform stands ready to provide the travel industry with the means to accomplish this goal.”

The results, based on a global online survey of 11,000 travellers in 19 countries, including 500 Canadian respondents, showed Canada at the number 15 spot.

Travelport’s 2017 Digital Traveller Research Report provided new insight into how Canadian travellers use digital tools throughout the travel process, including planning and booking a trip, being on the trip and being in the destination.

When planning a trip:

- 83 per cent of Canadian travellers use peer to peer reviews when researching a trip

- 77 per cent use travel sites to discover new and exciting destinations based on their interests

- 57 per cent use videos and photos posted by friends on social media as part of their research

When booking a trip:

- 35 per cent of Canadian travellers research and book their trip on a mobile device

- 62 per cent avoid hotels that charge for WiFi

When on the trip:

- 59 per cent of Canadians believe digital boarding passes and e-tickets make traveling much easier

- 64 per cent feel a good digital experience is important when choosing an airline

When at the destination:

- Canadian travellers use an average of 14 different categories of apps when traveling

- 65 per cent of Canadians leave reviews on review sites

For more information on the research findings for Canada, and to download the Global Digital Traveller Report, as well as the Canada report, which includes both Canada statistics and a regional view for the Americas, visit the Travelport website.