The Top 12 Destinations Canadians are Most Interested in Visiting

Portrait of Canadian Leisure Travelers

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. October 14, 2008

ORLANDO, FL/VANCOUVER, BC, October 27, 2005. Canadians seek new and unique travel experiences according to a comprehensive new study analyzing the lifestyles, motivations and future vacation plans of Canadian leisure travelers. More than six in 10 of these travelers said it is extremely important to experience new things to do on vacation and to discover new and different destinations.

The new 2005 Portrait of Canadian Leisure Travelers, a joint undertaking between Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown and Russell (YPB&R), Orlando, Fla., and InterVISTAS Consulting Inc., headquartered in Vancouver, B.C., explores the travel habits, preferences and future trip intentions of Canadian leisure travelers. The study's results are based on a nationally-projectable panel of 1,350 pre-qualified Canadian leisure travellers.

Among the key findings within the study:

Nearly nine in ten (88%) took one or more domestic trips. The most popular province is Ontario (42%), followed by Qu'ebec (29%), British Columbia (21%) and Alberta (18%). British Columbia is the most desired province for future visitation (66%), followed by Ontario (62%), Alberta (59%), Qu'ebec (52%), Nova Scotia (39%), Prince Edward Island (39%), New Brunswick (36%), and Newfoundland (32%). One-half of Canadian leisure travelers took one or more international trips; the United States is the most frequently visited destination. Thirty four percent of these travelers visited the United States, followed by the Caribbean (10%) and Europe (9%).

Where do Canadians want to go in the U.S? The top destinations Canadians are most interested in visiting, among the 28 U.S. locations tracked in the study, were ranked as follows:

Hawaiian Neighbor Islands - 51% (Maui, Kauai, etc.)

Honolulu/Oahu - 47%

U.S. National Parks - 40%

New York City - 40%

New Orleans - 38%

Las Vegas - 36%

San Francisco - 36%

Orlando - 35%

The Florida Keys - 33%

Los Angeles - 31%

Alaska - 30%

Miami - 28%

Apart from the U.S., 65% of Canadian leisure travelers want to visit Europe, and 63% yearn for the Caribbean in comparison to 35% for the South Pacific, 34% for Mexico and 15% for Asia.

The 2005 Portrait of Canadian Leisure Travelers "provides critical insights into the motivations of Canadian travelers, their future trip intentions, their views on recent travel experiences at home and abroad, trip planning and booking behavior, emerging lifestyles and brand preferences," said Dennis Marzella, Executive Vice President/Partner of Research & Brand Strategy for YPB&R.

"The Canadian leisure travel market generates $10 Billion in travel expenditures annually, and is an important market for Canada, border and sunshine states in the U.S., and destinations within the Caribbean, Europe and Asia in particular. This new study will enable organizations and destinations serving Canadian travelers to make more informed strategic decisions on how best to cultivate this key leisure market now and in future years", said Paul Clark, Director of Strategic Services with InterVISTAS Consulting Inc.