On Trend With Google

It may come as a surprise, but The Honeymoon Capital of the World, Niagara Falls – is the top city Canadians have been actively searching on Google since the start of 2016.

Meanwhile Costa Rica, Cuba and Iceland have emerged as the top trending countries for travel related searches within Canada this year.

Along with what’s trending in travel, according to Google searches, representatives from Google Canada and Google Travel gathered in Toronto yesterday (March 8) to launch Google’s new mobile travel destinations feature, which allows users to find flights, hotel information, photos, prices, the cheapest upcoming travel dates, suggested itineraries and the ability to filter results based on interests all within the search field, and to share insights on some of the main changes in how Canadians are researching and booking travel.

“We asked over 600 Canadians: how do you feel about travel, do you intend to travel in 2016 and tell us a little bit more about leisure travel in general,” said Zahra Kanji, strategy and insights lead, Google Canada. “Not only are 52% of Canadians planning to travel, they’re looking to take roughly two leisure trips this year.”

According to the survey, the top reasons why participants planned to travel in 2016 are: to visit family and friends, to learn, explore and discover, and to relax and disconnect from work.

Canadians spend roughly 30 days planning their vacations, and often turn to mobile devices in the process. The average trip is 8.6 days long and booked 39 days in advance.

Pictured at the event are (l-r) Stefan Frank, project manager, Google Travel; Laura Creighton, strategy and insights lead, Google Canada; Kanji; and Kim Rellinger, travel and tourism lead, Google Canada.

• Travel Trends on Google searches
• Trending travel questions in Canada (since January 2016): How to travel the world for free?; Where should I travel?; Where to travel with the low Canadian dollar?; How to plan a trip?; How to plan a trip to Europe.
• The top 10 trending cities on Google related to travel, searched in Canada since January: Niagara Falls; Whistler; Lake Louise; Mont Tremblant; Playa del Carmen; Saint-Sauveur; Banff; Cozumel; Roatan; The Azores.
• Top 10 trending countries on Google related to travel, searched in Canada since Jan. 2016: Costa Rica; Cuba; Iceland; Thailand; Dominican Republic; Indonesia; Greece; Bahamas; Cambodia; Nicaragua.
• Top 10 trending countries on Google related to travel, searched in the US since Jan. 2016: Seychelles; Greece; Bermuda; Scotland; Brazil; Portugal; Argentina; Germany; Jamaica; Barbados.
• Top travel trends: 69% of Canadians visit travel sites monthly – over half of those do so on their mobile devices; Canadians spend an average of 43 minutes on travel web sites per month – even if they aren’t immediately planning on going anywhere; 58% of Canadians begin researching online before they decide how or where to travel; Canadians search for travel more than other discretionary categories, including restaurants, clothes and shoes, concerts and festivals, and stocks and investments; Mobile searches for travel increased 36% year over year; Before leaving the house, Canadian smartphone users check for their phone (and keys!) more than they do other things like their wallet or jacket; 64% of Canadian smartphone users pick up their phones in the middle of a conversation to find more information about something that was said; 80% of mobile searches are in a location (work, home or school) where a PC is likely to be available.