Canadians Packing Up And Ready To Go

With pandemic restrictions easing, Canadians are packing their bags, and RATESDOTCA is reporting that interest in travel quotes is surging 293% [see chart above of Change of Travel Quote Volume on RATESDOTCA].

And while it is far from pre-COVID numbers, it’s clear Canadians are once again ready to pack up and go, though the destinations they are planning to visit have changed.

RATESDOTCA notes that interest in domestic travel climbed 330% from Q3 2019 to Q3 2021, however, interest in international travel fell 14%. The report pulls data from thousands of quotes for travel insurance from Q3 2019 to Q3 2021. [See chart below of Percentage of Travellers Quoting International vs Domestic Trips].

While the U.S. remains the top destination, interest in visiting has fallen 66% from 2019. Canada has moved into second place, surpassing both Mexico and the UK, with an increase of 94%.

And who is travelling has also changed.

Travel quotes from the Silent Generation (1928-45) plunged 76%. Interest in travel amongst Baby Boomers (1946-64), Gen X (1965-80) and Millennials (1981-96) has decreased 56%, 52% and 43%, respectively. Gen Z (1997-2012) fell the least, dropping just 22%.

RATESDOTCA’s John Shmuel pointed out that: “These numbers indicate we are seeing the beginning of a recovery for the travel industry. It’s clear that Canadians want to travel but are doing so more cautiously than in pre-pandemic times. With continued disruptions such as flight delays and long waits at border crossings, it’s likely to be a longer time before Canadians are travelling as they once did.”

NOTE: Graphs, numbers and quotes were provided by RATESDOTCA and quotes were completed by Canadians on the RATESDOTCA website from Q3 2019 – Q3 2021.

Go to https://rates.ca/resources for more.