Paris Interest Rises; Taylor Swift Fans Flock to the U.S.; Where Canadians Are Heading This Fall

Summer may be winding down (or, to paraphrase Bob Seger, “autumn is closing in,”), but fall travel is heating up.

And Expedia data shows Canadians aren’t just chasing fall colour destinations this year. From East Coast locales to overseas adventures in Asia, Expedia’s fall travel outlook dives into autumn travel trends, including the hottest destinations, best booking windows and ways to save.  Canadians also are looking to book trips to Buffalo to see the Buffalo Bills of the NFL play, and to U.S. cities such as Miami to see Taylor Swift in concert.

“This year, there’s no hard line when it comes to swapping beach towels for cozy sweaters,” said Melanie Fish, head of Expedia Group Brands public relations. “Canadians are re-writing the fall travel playbook and trading pumpkin spice everything for a front row seat to moon festivals, samurai lessons, and alternate destinations with a lower price tag.” 

Expedia’s Fall Travel Outlook:  

Destination Insights

 

• Booking the beach: Hitting the beach isn’t solely reserved for winter escapes anymore, with searches for Cancun up a whopping 83 per cent year-over-year for the fall season. Other trending beach destinations include Playa del Carmen (58 per cent), Punta Cana (40 per cent), Orlando (21 per cent), Turks and Caicos (9 per cent) and Honolulu (6 per cent).  (I mentioned Honolulu in a Labour Day destination story I posted on my site a couple days ago.)

 

• Packing for Paris: Expedia’s summer data revealed a drop in demand (-35 per cent) for France’s capital, suggesting last minute bookers were keen to avoid the busy crowds during the Summer Games. For autumn, Paris makes a comeback as the seventh most-searched destination overall with an 11 per cent increase YoY as Canadians look to make up for lost time. It’s an especially great time to visit the City of Light with rates down 10 per cent on average. 

 

• Era’s expeditions: With Taylor Swift’s record-breaking Era’s Tour returning stateside, Canadians are planning more trips to Indianapolis (35 per cent), New Orleans (44 per cent) and Miami (28 per cent), proving the Tour Tourism phenomenon is still going strong.  

 

• Adventures in Asia: Canadians are increasingly drawn to the rich cultures and vibrant cities of Asia with searches hitting an all-time high for 2024. Kyoto (83 per cent), Osaka (69 per cent), Seoul (63 per cent), Bangkok (62 per cent), Taipei (32 per cent) and Yamaguchi (18 per cent) are among some of the fastest-growing Asian destinations for Canadian travellers. 

 

• Let’s go Buffalo: Football fans are gearing up for home opener weekend in Buffalo Sept. 7 to 8, with lodging searches soaring 140 per cent compared to the previous week. Fans are even considering flying to the game with flight searches showing a significant spike of 325 per cent. 

 

• Canadian Thanksgiving: While major domestic hubs like Toronto and Vancouver are experiencing a decline in searches compared to the long-weekend last year, cities such as Montréal, Victoria and Moncton are gaining popularity for Thanksgiving travels. For sunseekers, Cancun is a hot choice with search volumes up 78 per cent year-over-year. Meanwhile, travellers can look for package savings to Las Vegas with the destination showing less searches than average (-16 per cent) for the holiday weekend.  

 

• Fall foliage favorites: While classic leaf peeping destinations remain popular, Canadians are seeking a western spin with Montana experiencing an extraordinary 172 per cent increase in searches. Other notable fall foliage destinations of interest include Boston (56 per cent), Charlottetown (41 per cent), Québec City (20 per cent), Edinburgh (9 per cent), and Burlington, Vermont (6 per cent). Expect to pay more for popular hotspots like Boston, which shows an 11 per cent hike in average daily rates compared to summer 2024.  Here’s an item I posted last year after a great trip to Edinburgh.

 

 

Most Searched Fall Destinations Based on lodging searches
Domestic  1. Toronto  2. Vancouver  3. Montréal  4. Niagara Falls  5. Québec City  6. Banff  7. Calgary  8. Canmore  9. Victoria  10. Ottawa	International  1. Las Vegas  2. Tokyo  3. New York  4. Rome  5. Paris  6. London  7. Barcelona  8. Cancun  9. Orlando  10. Punta Cana

 

Trending Fall Destinations   based on lodging searches
Domestic  Charlottetown (41 per cent)  Montréal (27 per cent)  Victoria (24 per cent)  Québec City (22 per cent)  Toronto (17 per cent)  Canmore (16 per cent)  St. John’s (15 per cent)  Niagara-on-the-Lake (14 per cent)  Banff (10 per cent)  Kelowna (10 per cent)	International  Cancun (83 per cent)  Kyoto (83 per cent)  Mexico City (79 per cent)  Osaka (69 per cent)  Seoul (63 per cent)  Bangkok (62 per cent)  Playa del Carmen (58 per cent)  Boston (56 per cent)  Tulum (56 per cent)  Ft. Lauderdale (52 per cent)

 

Best and Busiest Times to Travel This Fall 

For both domestic and international travel, the Thursday and Friday following Labor Day are the busiest days of the season. Many travellers are returning from an extended holiday weekend, while others are seizing the opportunity for a quick getaway and enjoying shoulder season savings before the holiday rush begins. 

• Busiest Travel Dates: Window between Sept. 3 to 9 is the busiest; Sept. 5 and 6 (Thursday and Friday after Labor Day) are the busiest days. 

 

• Lightest Travel Dates: Week of Nov. 10 

 

Cheapest Day of the Week to Fly

According to Expedia data, Fridays are typically the busiest days at the airport during the autumn months, while Tuesdays see the least crowds. To maximize savings, depart on a Sunday instead of a Wednesday to save around 15 per cent on domestic flights. 

 

Shoulder Season Steals

Expedia data reveals that overall average daily rates are largely on-par with the summer season, but there are still deals to be found for savvy travellers. While autumn hotspots are seeing higher ticket prices compared to the summer months, popular destinations like Palm Springs, Calif; Tulum, Mexico; Manchester, England; and Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, are seeing a price drop of at least 10 per cent on average.  I love Kailua-Kona. It’s a great small town/city on the dry, west coast of Hawai’i Island, which is bigger than the other Hawaiian islands put together and offers an immense variety of things to see and do.

 

Shoulder Season Deals  These destinations are shaping up to be 10 per cent cheaper   or more, based on average daily rates
·       Vernon, B.C.  ·       Paris, France  ·       Palm Springs, Calif.  ·       Kailua-Kona, Hawaii  ·       Portland, Ore.  ·       Manchester, England  ·       Providenciales, TCI  ·       Buenos Aires, Argentina  ·       Grande Prairie, Alta.  ·       Willemstad, Curaçao	·       Bologna, Italy  ·       Charleston, S.C.  ·       Marseille, France  ·       San Antonio, Texas  ·       Sapporo, Japan  ·       Tulum, Mexico  ·       Hamburg, Germany  ·       Tampa Bay, Fla.  ·       Koh Samui, Thailand  ·       Atlantic City, N.J.

 

Canadian travellers can also take advantage of Expedia’s last-minute summer sale, on now until Aug. 30.  Members can save up to 25 per cent on select hotels to make the most out of the season.