As vaccination rates continue to rise across the country travel restrictions for fully immunized Canadians begin to ease, many people are beginning to pull out their dream vacation list and plan their future holidays to make them a reality.
In Canada, we are seeing an increase in searches for information on travel destinations, such as travel restrictions by country and where to single mom travel, which have recently reached historic highs. As Canadians begin to re-engage in the travel industry, we were curious to see how their plans are going. Do people of Canada desire to plan a trip within the country, or are they are prepared to travel abroad? What are the main places they would like to visit? We’ve looked at what Canadians are looking for when planning their vacation.
Where Canadians want to travel
Whether it’s traveling locally or abroad, search interest in international and domestic has started to steadily increase since June. In fact, Canadians’ interest in international and domestic travel research has reached unprecedented heights.
And as many workplaces across the country have embraced remote work models, we’re also seeing a rise in a new kind of travel — stay- at-home vacations and work vacations. Over the past few months, searches related to stay-at-home and working holidays in Canada have reached all-time highs.
When it comes to vacation planning, we’ve looked at some of the top destinations Canadians are looking for.
Most searched domestic destinations by Canadians in Travel last month:
- Toronto
- Vancouver
- Calgary
- Montreal
- Niagara falls
- Edmonton
- Quebec
- Whistler
- Banff
- Ottawa
“One of the benefits of this pandemic is that Canadians have a better appreciation of what their own communities and regions have to offer travelers,” said Gloria Loree, Director of Marketing, Destinations Canada. With the latest statement of the plan to reopen the border, our business is not only pleased to welcome tourists back, but we think that Canadians and their enthusiasm for what this country has to deal will have a constructive effect on choices to travel within Canada. And our research shows that the diversity of our people, landscapes and experiences is exactly what curious travelers are looking for.
Most searched international destinations by Canadians on Travel last month:
- Italy
- United States
- Mexico
- India
- France
- Dubai
- Greece
- Japan
- UK
- Cuba
As we begin a period of substantial improvement, most of our expectations about rebuilding are coming to completion. Demand for domestic flights has seen a steady increase over the past few months and we are seeing strong demand for international travel, such than Europe and sun destinations, as travel restrictions are expected to ease. We are excited to welcome back more travelers.
As Canadians begin to plan, here are the top questions they are looking for:
- Who can travel to Canada?
- When can Canadians travel to the United States?
- Where can Canadians travel?
- Where to get a PCR test for travel?
- What is considered essential travel?
Interest in travel to Canada is on the rise
When looking at search interest in to Canada, we see that more and more countries are beginning to show interest in Canada.
Top 10 most searched Canadian cities worldwide (excluding Canada) in Travel, last month:
- Toronto
- Vancouver
- Banff
- Niagara falls
- Montreal
- Calgary
- Ottawa
- Victoria
- Jasper
- Edmonton
If you’re ready to plan a trip, here are some updates to keep you informed of the latest travel guidelines and explore potential destinations.
Stay up to date on travel guidelines
When you search for travel information, such as flights, hotels, or things to do, Search tells you if there are any COVID-19 travel advisories or restrictions for your destination. We are now adding more details on travel restrictions, such as whether you need to quarantine on arrival or whether you need to provide proof of test results or vaccination records.
You can now also track travel guidelines or restrictions for your destination and receive email updates.
If you use Maps to plan your trips, you can use the COVID layer in the app to see how cases are changing in an area. You can also access quick links to trusted local resources, so you know briefly if there are any specific guidelines or restrictions you need to follow.
Find destination ideas for when you’re ready to travel
Where will you go on your mother daughter trips when you are prepared to travel again? It’s exciting to think about, and we’ve made some updates to Explorer to help you get started. Google Flights enthusiasts may already be familiar with the Explorer Map, which shows flight prices to different destinations if you’re flexible about where and when you travel.
Now Explorer has its own tab on Google.com/travel and has been revamped to allow you to navigate beyond flights. You’ll see more destinations on the map, including smaller towns and national parks, and if you have a certain type of trip in mind, you can filter destinations based on your interests, such as the outdoors, beaches, or ski. If you only want to see cities with an airport, select only flights in the “Mode of transport”. When you choose a destination, we’ll let you know if there’s a travel advisory or restriction and, in addition to the best flights, you’ll get other useful information to plan your trip, like hotels, things to do, the best time to visit and more.
More choices for travelers with free hotel booking links
For many years, we’ve helped travelers choose the right hotel by providing a list of relevant properties, along with information such as reviews, photos, and available hotel amenities. Hotel booking links are offered through hotel listings, which display real-time prices and availability for specific travel dates. We have found that users find these hotel booking links very useful and that partners view them as a valuable source of potential customers.
We’ve now enhanced that experience by allowing hotels and agencies around the world to appear in hotel booking links on google.com/travel for free. With access to a wider range of hotel prices, users will have a fuller set of options when researching their trip and ultimately deciding where to book.
For all hotels and agencies, this change offers a free new way to reach potential customers. And our tests with this new feature show that all types of partners – from individual hotels to online agencies – benefit from free booking links thanks to increased booking traffic and user engagement.
Whatever type of trip you are planning (or starting to consider)
Help you manage traffic
Before you go, find your destination on Google Maps. Then scroll down the business profile to see how busy a place is usually or how busy it is right now. With traffic information, you’ll know instantly that you’re about to face a long line or a large crowd. And can adjust your plans accordingly.
Also check how crowded your bus, train or metro is likely to be. So you know if you’re likely to get a seat or if you’ll have to wait for another train. You’ll be able to see transit ridership forecasts for over 10,000 transit agencies in 100 countries around the world.
