Canadian travel patterns undergo major shift
By CO Staff @canadaone | November 3, 2006
Vacation travel patterns have undergone a major shift during the past six years, according to new data from the Travel Activities and Motivation Survey.
The biggest change was found in the number of adults vacationing abroad. Twenty-seven and a half per cent of adult Canadians took a vacation to a country other than the United States, up significantly from 19.5% in 1999, the year when the survey was last conducted.
The number of people travelling to all major destinations also increased:
| Destination | 1999 | 2006 |
| United States | 29.0% | 35.5% |
| Other province | 36.3% | 41.3% |
| Within own province | 48.4% | 59.2% |
In all, slightly more than 18 million people, or 74.4% of the adult population, reported traveling for overnight pleasure or vacation purposes in the two years prior to the survey. This was up slightly from 72.6% in 1999.
Travel decision making very important to Canadians
Sixty per cent of Canadian travellers view travel decision making as being at least as important as deciding how much to spend on a car or house.
Feeling safe at the destination was the most frequently cited concern when choosing a destination for an out-of-town vacation, which the survey notes may reflect international developments during recent years.
Getting a break from the day-to-day environment, and relaxing and relieving stress were the top benefits respondents were looking for from their vacation time.
Overnight vacations: Traveler demographics
Overall, 80.3% of adults aged 18 to 34 reported overnight vacation travel, compared with 66.1% among those aged 55 and older. Only 58.8% of respondents living in low-income households did so, compared with 87.8% living in high-income households.
Not surprisingly, younger adults and those living in households with above average incomes reported higher incidences of overnight vacation travel than their older counterparts or those in lower income households.
While adults born in Canada were slightly more likely to take overnight vacations, those born outside Canada were almost twice as likely to report taking international vacations than their Canadian born counterparts.
About the survey: The survey was conducted by Statistics Canada with the cooperation and support of eight provincial and territorial ministries and agencies responsible for tourism, as well as the Canadian Tourism Commission, Parks Canada, Canadian Heritage and the Atlantic Tourism Partnership. It asked adults aged 18 and older in all provinces about their travel habits during the previous two years.
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