Nice Canadians?
I don’t think so. At least not when it comes to travel and social media.
The latest study by hotels.com finds that our mobile phones have become such a part of our lives that we’re willing to skip sightseeing or time at the beach to do our social media updates.
The study said 36 per cent of Canadian travellers admit to uploading photos to social media to gloat, while 20 per cent admit to checking into places on social media just to make friends jealous.
Isn’t that awful? I feel BADLY when I post great photos from Canada or around the world, but I do it because when I’m on a trip sponsored by a tourism board or hotel it’s EXPECTED that I file to social media. I find it boastful at times, and I don’t like it, but sometimes I have to give a shout out.
I like posting pretty pictures as much as most folks. Maybe just not as much as those Canadians trying to drive their friends crazy.
Hotels.com Mobile Travel Tracker survey highlighted the tech travel habits of 9,200 travellers across 31 countries. Among their other findings (and I was just talking about food photos with a tourism official last night at dinner in Niagara-on-the-Lake) is restaurants and food markets are the most popular searches (60 per cent). Twice as many folks search for the best restaurant as they do for the top beach.
The survey also found Facebook is the favourite social media network for Canadians (78 per cent), with 2 per cent so competitive they check their friends’ travel posts to make sure theirs are better.
Again, that’s pretty pathetic, folks.
Listed second for social channel favourite was YouTube (29 per cent), then Twitter (22), Instagram (20) and Skype (18).
Almost 50 per cent of travellers use mobile maps to get around, and many rely on them to learn local lingo.
As I mentioned, restaurants and food markets took top spot for searches, with 60 per cent. Tourist attractions were next at 52 per cent, followed by “maps and directions” at 42 per cent, local beaches at 30 and museums/art galleries at 29 (fairly close to beaches; a victory of sorts for culture fans, methinks).
The survey also confirmed that we Canadians love our Wi-Fi. Twenty eight per cent of us said we only select hotels that offer free Wi-Fi.
Oh, and three per cent of Canadias said they use dating apps when they travel.
Canada’s early adopters are embracing the latest in mobile technology developments, with eight per cent having checked into their hotel through their mobile device and two per cent having
used their smartphone as a room key. Rather than popping down to the lobby, a tech-savvy eight per cent of travellers have even used mobile to contact their hotel while in resort and one per cent have tried out a mobile concierge service.
Dan Craig, Senior Director of Mobile at Hotels.com brand said: “For travellers the mobile effect begins with booking, as 42 per cent of people in our study have booked a hotel on mobile. It’s therefore no surprise that today’s modern tourist is so reliant on their smartphone, and as technology is advancing it’s becoming a more indispensable travel companion.
“Our study shows that some travellers, especially millennials, spend more time looking at their screens than enjoying the sun or the sights. However, most travellers are actually using
their device to search for local restaurants, to help them get around and importantly stay connected with the rest of the world. Only 40 per cent of people might have admitted to uploading photos to social media to make friends jealous but we all know you’ve definitely Instagrammed a holiday selfie to show off!”
The Hotels.com mobile app is available for IOS, Android and Amazon Kindle devices, and already has over 50 million downloads worldwide.
Please visit mobiletraveltracker.hotels.com for more insights from the Hotels.com MobileTravel Tracker.
