American Express Travel’s 2024 Global Travel Trends Report reveals that Canadians rank as the second highest global market for anticipated average trip spend and prioritize spontaneous, bucket list, and once-in-a-lifetime vacations.
A summary of the Canadian findings from the report is as follows:
- Extended bucket-list trips are on the rise: Canadians are looking to take longer trips than the global average, visiting multiple countries in a region or taking expedition/remote trips.
- Canadians are willing to spend unless a travel hack can help them save: Travelers are eager to foot the bill to get the most out of their trip but lean on travel hacks for cost savings and upgrades.
- Spontaneity, solo travel and self-love drive travel desires: Canadians are leaving room for spontaneous exploration, exploring for self-fulfillment, and looking to escape the chaos of daily life with solo trips.
Extended bucket-list trips are on the rise.
- 1-in-3 (33%) of Canadians are planning a trip for a significant journey (e.g., bucket list trip, dream vacation).
- The most common types of trips Canadians consider to be a ‘dream vacation’ or major trip include multi-country tours within a region (66%), expedition cruises (32%), adventure travel (29%), and wellness retreats (23%).
- Among Canadians planning to take a trip to visit multiple countries in a region, 70% plan on visiting Europe.
- Canadians planning on taking a trip in 2024 are making the most of vacation time, with 1–2-week trips (45%) and week-long trips (44%) being most common, compared to week-long (47%) and weekend trips (41%) being most popular among global responses.
Canadians are willing to spend unless a travel hack can help them save.
- Over one-third (36%) of Canadians plan to spend more on travel than last year.
- Globally, Canada ranks the second highest market for anticipated highest average spend for leisure trips at an average of $8,824.
- Increased spending is balanced with a range of ‘travel hacks’ to save money on travel:
- 44% will travel during off-peak seasons.
- 41% will use credit card points to pay for flights/hotels.
- 20% will book through companies that offer complimentary hotel benefits (e.g. room upgrades, hotel credits)
- 85% of Canadian Adults agree they are interested in finding flight deals to spend more on accommodations or upgrades.
Spontaneity, solo travel and self-love drive travel desires
- Some Canadians book travel spontaneously, while others find spontaneity at their destination:
- Over one-third (37%) of Canadians took a last-minute trip in 2023, with even more (43%) interested in taking one in 2024.
- Planning timeframes are short, with nearly half (47%) booking two weeks in advance or more.
- While at their destination, Canadians prefer to leave dining plans (61%), excursions/activities (39%) and shopping (35%) to be spontaneous.
- Over half (54%) of Canadians plan on travelling solo more often or about the same in 2024. Of those Canadians, 53% are Millennials and Gen-Z (compared to 59% of all Global Adults).
- Of those planning solo travel in 2024, 59% of Canadians plan to take a “treat yourself” solo trip centred around self-love.
Click here to download the complete American Express Travel 2024 Global Travel Trends Report
