Exploring Our Own Backyard

According to new data from the Expedia Group, domestic travel is on the rise in Canada. In fact in 2016, travel demand by Canadians to domestic cities rose 15% compared to 2015. And that trend continued to increase in the first quarter of 2017, which saw over 10% more demand than in 2016.

With domestic travellers accounting for over 60% of the country’s demand, Canadian hoteliers have every reason to shift their strategic focus to local tourism.

David Debeule, Canada area manager for Expedia, observed: “As Canada celebrates 150 years of Confederation, the trend toward domestic travel and ‘exploring our own backyard’ should continue as the year goes on.”

Debeule pointed out that: “Canadian hoteliers who partner with the Expedia group also seem to have found a winning formula for attracting their fellow countrymen, which is great! Whether through overnight promotions or other promotional programs, they can take advantage of the rise of domestic travel in Canada and really grow their business.”

Toronto and Vancouver led the way as popular destinations for domestic travellers to explore followed by Calgary, Niagara Falls and Ottawa. The remaining demand through the Expedia group comes from 100 other domestic destinations, reflecting the country’s highly diversified tourism industry.

A successful strategy for Canadian hoteliers targeting domestic travellers is special promotions. Almost 40% of travel demand by Canadians who booked on the Expedia group sites last year was associated with a special offer – an increase of more than 5% over the previous year.

Heading up the list of cities that leveraged promotions in 2016 to attract visitors was Whistler with more than 60% of demand linked to a deal, followed by Grand Prairie, Fort McMurray and Winnipeg.

Go to http://www.expediainc.com for more.