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Gas Prices and Travel Costs Bigger Issue Than COVID, Canadian Travellers Say

Would-be Canadian travellers are more worried about gas prices and increased travel costs versus COVID-19, a new study says.

With the Victoria Day holiday weekend being the unofficial start of the summer travel season, online travel agency CheapOair Canada has released the results of a new poll that asked Canadians which travel destination and activities they are most looking forward to while also looking into what their top travel concerns continue to be.

The study found that over 36% of Canadians listed Canada as their preferred travel destination this summer, followed by the U.S. (7.1%) and then Europe (5%).

• Unsurprisingly, given our Canadian winter, the poll also revealed that beach vacations topped the poll as the activity Canadians are most excited for (11.5%). Secondary questions revealed that they plan to find their ideal beach vacation within Canada first, followed by the Caribbean and then Mexico.

• Increased travel fees (8.7%) overtook COVID/variants related to COVID (7.5%) as the top concern among Canadians when it comes to travel remains particularly as gas prices are hitting an all-time high.

The beach in Port Dover, Ontario, JIM BYERS PHOTO

“We know as the warmer weather arrives, Canadians are eager to get out and travel – whether by air or the always popular road trip – however inflation costs and travel fees have now become the top concern,” said Daniel Hayter, Senior Product Manager for CheapOair.ca. “As a leading online travel agency, our role is to help Canadians find ways to save on their future travel, accommodation and transportation bookings so they can spend more during the vacation.”

These key findings were reported from a study conducted by CheapOair.ca during the Spring 2022, with results determined automatically through a third-party tracking system.

With its unique and comprehensive travel trend monitoring, the mission of CheapOair.ca is to educate and aid consumers and travel professionals in both planning their travel accommodations and staying current on the most popular destinations.