TORONTO — More Canadians are planning to travel in 2024 despite rising costs, according to the 2024 Blue Cross Travel Study. Canadians spent an average of $4,200 on their last vacation, and 94 per cent feel the cost of travelling is increasing.
“Canadians are finding creative ways to continue to enjoy travel while staying on budget, including staycations and domestic travel,” says Tim Bishop, managing director, Blue Cross of Canada. “When planning trips for 2024, travellers may also consider booking flights and accommodations a few months in advance and purchasing travel insurance to avoid unexpected costs.”
While inflation was a barrier to travelling, with more than two-thirds (69 per cent) of Canadians saying it impacted their travel plans in 2023, Canadians still plan to make travel a priority this year. In fact, close to eight-in-10 (79 per cent) say they’re planning a trip outside their province or territory in 2024, up 10 percentage points from last year.
This is likely since nearly all Canadians (96 per cent) recognize the benefits of travelling, such as being able to re-charge, reducing burnout and improving mental health.
After a turbulent return to travel last year when disruptions dominated the headlines, travellers are feeling more at ease this year. Travel-related stress is down 41 percentage points, as less than half (48 per cent) of Canadians said they experienced some form of travel stress, compared to 89 per cent in 2023.
“While it’s great to see a decrease in travel stress, we know Canadians continue to deal with travel-related issues,” says Bishop. “In fact, 58 per cent of Canadians said they’ve experienced a travel-related incident and for the second year in a row, cancelling or changing a flight, and lost or damaged baggage were named as the top travel-related incidents.”
Interestingly, young Canadians are more likely to experience travel disruptions. Just over three-quarters (78 per cent) of Gen Z and 64 per cent of millennial travellers said they’ve experienced a travel-related incident compared to just over half of Boomers (56 per cent). This may also be contributing to higher levels of stress, as 54 per cent of Gen Z and 58 per cent of millennials find travel stressful, compared to 39 per cent of Boomers.
Canadians are exploring new forms of travel, with ecotourism and solo travel on the rise. Most Canadians (82 per cent) cite an interest in ecotourism and over one-quarter of Canadians (26 per cent) have either taken or are currently planning an ecotourism vacation.
Younger Canadians are especially keen to adopt these new travel trends. Many Gen Z travellers (55 per cent) see ecotourism as an opportunity to have a more meaningful travel experience, and 47 per cent have taken or are planning an ecotourism vacation, compared to just 17 per cent of Boomers. Gen Z are also more open than their older counterparts to the possibilities of combining remote work and travel by temporarily working from a new destination, while 50 per cent of Gen Z have or are planning to move provinces/territories or countries for a few months, compared to 38 per cent of millennials and just 12 per cent of Boomers.
