Not that we’re taking sides, but when we looked at our data to discover 2019’s top travel trends we noticed that Canadian travellers are decidedly more adventurous than their American counterparts. In fact, 7 out of the 10 most popular destinations for Canadian travellers reach far beyond the country’s borders. Places like New Delhi, London and Paris all came up as being the most-searched-for cities on ca.KAYAK.com.
But it’s not just the popular cities that are demonstrating how far Canadians will travel. Our trending destinations for the year also reflect an adventurous spirit. By looking at which places saw the most significant increase in searches on our site, year over year, we found that travellers are gravitating towards balmy beach breezes. The Maldives and Cartagena, Colombia are among the top trending destinations for 2019, with searches up 215% and 193% respectively. And while Europe is calling to both Canadian and American travellers, Canadians are drawn to under-the-radar cities like Sofia, Dubrovnik and Porto (whereas Americans are sticking with the standbys of Rome, Munich and Paris).
That’s not all. Not only are Canadians as a whole more adventurous than those to the south, but every city also has its own unique “travel personality.” We dug deeper into our data to find out the specific travel tastes for the country’s major cities. Here’s what we found:
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Vancouverites are the culture enthusiasts.
Travellers from the Vancouver area are searching more for bustling cities in Asia like Tokyo, Beijing and Hong Kong.
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Torontonians are the party people.
Meanwhile, those living their lives in Toronto are looking for something to break up the workweek. Destinations known for their nightlife such as Las Vegas, Paris, Miami, LA and New York are at the top of travellers’ lists.
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Montreal residents are the sun-seekers.
While a Canadian winter has its beauty, there’s nothing quite like a tropical escape. Cancun, Casablanca and Orlando are trending among these city-dwellers, who are obviously in need of some beach time.
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Calgarians are homebodies who like to seek the middle-ground.
With new flight routes and increased options opening in and around Calgary, residents of this city are seeing the opportunity to explore North America. Canadian cities like Toronto and Montreal are trending, as are cities south of the border like Phoenix and San Francisco.
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Edmonton residents are the friendly Canadian neighbours.
Abbotsford, Kelowna and Vancouver, British Columbia are all trending for residents of Edmonton. Taking advantage of low-cost carriers providing more affordable options to explore Canada’s cities, these travellers are using their travel dollar to boost local economies at home.
For those travellers who aren’t feeling the adventure vibe, we have more good news. Our data shows that travel within Canada is becoming more affordable — 4 Canadian destinations topped our Top 10 Wallet-Friendly Flights list this year, all of which show year-round median airfare below $530. And of those destinations, Vancouver is clearly a star. Not only is it among our most popular destinations for 2019 (clocking in at #3), but also median flight prices there have dropped 11% and you can easily find roundtrip airfare for under $500.
Wherever 2019 takes you, near or far, be confident you’re getting exactly what you need to plan the perfect trip.
Methodology
Unless otherwise indicated, KAYAK considered searches conducted on the Canada KAYAK site between June 1, 2018 through December 1, 2018 for travel from Canada occurring between January 1, 2019 through June 1, 2019. All flight searches are round-trip economy flights using median airfare and exclude price outliers based on certain criteria. All searches were pulled from KAYAK’s internal database. Prices may vary.
