Among those planning a holiday, almost two-thirds say they’ll stick to day trips
By Caitlin Finlay
With COVID restrictions varying depending on where one lives, a majority of Canadians are planning summer staycations again this year. According to a Leger survey conducted in collaboration with the Association for Canadian Studies, 54% of Canadians say they’re unlikely to take a summer vacation this year. The random web survey of 1,529 Canadian adults was conducted between May 7 and May 9.
The survey revealed that fewer than a third of Canadians (31%) are “somewhat likely” or “very likely” to take a summer vacation. Most (63%) of those respondents are planning local day trips; half said they’d consider a longer trip within their province, with only 25% planning to visit another province. One in five are planning international travel.
The survey also polled 1,003 American adults, of whom only 38% have no vacation plans; 41% say they are likely to take a summer vacation. Like Canadian respondents, most Americans planning vacations said they were likely to be local day trips (56%) or trips within their home state (46%), but 57% said they would also travel to other states (compared with the 25% of Canadians thinking about interprovincial travel) and 16% said they would travel internationally.
The pandemic also seems to have affected the types of travel contemplated. Asked about their level of comfort with various options “once the Coronavirus pandemic has ended,” an equal proportion of Canadians and Americans (69%) said they would be most comfortable with a road trip or a vacation within their own country (67%); camping was ranked the third most popular option by 58% of Canadians and 55% of Americans. Fewer Canadians than Americans said they will feel comfortable with trips that require flying (36% versus 41%, respectively) or staying in a hotel (48% versus 56%); cruises were among the least popular options for both (beating out only “renting or buying a timeshare”), with 20% of Canadians and 29% of Americans saying they’d be comfortable going on a cruise.
In terms of travel between Canada and the United States, the survey results showed that 57% of Canadians won’t be comfortable travelling to the other country until 2022, but only 32% of Americans said the same. Cross-border travel restrictions have been extended until June 21, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau saying the government may consider opening the border once 75% of Canadians have been vaccinated.
Photo: iStock/matchefoto.
