Majority of Canadians plan to stay close to home on this year's summer vacation, survey finds

A new survey found a majority of Canadian respondents plan to stay within the country on their next trip amidst high costs of living.

The 2024 Summer Travel Outlook by Deloitte Canada found that 74 per cent of those surveyed plan to stay in Canada, close to their home region, on their summer road trip. Many are also looking at a summer road trip as a means to save on expenses.

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The survey also found that 35 per cent said they won’t be travelling at all because they can't afford it or they would rather use their money for other purposes.

“Definitely, there is a percentage of Canadians who will not be travelling in a major way this year,” said Clark Hoskin, Senior Manager with Deloitte Canada.

Still, those surveyed said they planned to spend $2,405 on just loding and accommodations on their next holiday.

"[Canadians] are still price sensitive, but they do plan to get out and spend some money” said Hoskin.

A familiar theme is the great outdoors with many hoping to take in nature, lakes, beaches, wilderness areas and local attractions.

Another travel survey by Kayak, a travel search engine, found two of the top domestic destinations this summer will be Calgary and Edmonton.

The website also said for Canadians who want to stretch their dollar outside of the country searches for South and Central America have increased by more than 30 per cent.

"In the summer we are seeing South and Central America travel prices down by 12 and 13 per cent each, so it's definitely a place where you can go to get more value for your dollar," said Leon Mulder, Senior Country Manager for Kayak Canada.

Kayak said while Europe is still a favourite for Canadians, prices have increased over last year and some tourists are by-passing the favourite cities of London and Paris to visit more affordable destinations.

"Currently we are seeing Rome, Lisbon, Athens and Amsterdam as the most popular destinations,” said Mulder.

According to the website anyone planning a vacation should lock in their trip soon as prices are considered low right now, but will continue to rise until the end of June and you'll usually pay a premium for trips booked in July and August.