Expedia.Ca Summer 2007 Travel Survey

Toronto, ON - According to a new Expedia.ca survey conducted by Ipsos Reid, Canadians have been caught daydreaming in various embarrassing situations such as while at work (49%), spending time with family (46%), or their spouse/partner (43%). Taking a trip and getting away from it all (75%) is one of the top Canadian fantasies, comparable to money (73%).

It's this time of year, springtime, that many (46%) Canadians typically make arrangements for their summer vacation. Half (47%) of Canadians plan to materialize their fantasy with a trip this summer; 59% are considering going to the cottage/a stay with family and 74% are planning a pleasure trip that involves paid accommodation and travel by car, airplane, train or boat. In total, 35% of all Canadians, or 8 million, are planning a paid pleasure trip this summer. Nearly one in two (45%) plan to take more trips than they did last summer and another 47% plan to take the same amount.

Survey findings also indicate that just 47% of Canadians have a valid passport at this time. Good thing most (84%) summer travellers plan to stay in Canada; 63% in province and 43% will vacation in another province. Two in ten (18%) anticipated summer travellers are planning a trip to the US and one in ten (9%) to Europe.

On average, anticipated travellers plan to spend $2,015 on their summer vacation this year.

Finally, eight in ten (78%) Canadians use the Internet to obtain information about vacation destinations and half (47%) book or pay for their vacation packages, travel arrangements or hotel accommodation online.

These are the findings of an Ipsos Reid/Expedia.ca survey conducted from April 5 to April 10, 2007. For the survey, a representative randomly selected sample of 3199 adult Canadians was interviewed by telephone. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within 177 1.7 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire adult Canadian population been polled. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population. These data were weighted to ensure the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to Census data.

Travel One Of The Top Canadian Fantasies

From a list of seven topics, travel (75%) and money (73%) are the top Canadian fantasies. These compare to more free time (42%), sex (40%), shopping (24%), food (19%) and being famous (12%).

• Women more than men daydream about getting away from it all (80% vs. 70%).
• Older Canadians 55+ (79%) are also more likely to fantasize about traveling than those who are younger (73%).
• Canadians have been caught daydreaming in various embarrassing situations: While at work (49%), while spending time with family (46%), while on vacation (44%), while spending time with a significant other (43%), while at school (26%), and/or while driving or operating heavy machinery (16%).
• Men are more likely than women to get caught daydreaming at school (29% vs. 24%) or while driving/operating heavy machinery (18% vs. 13%). Women are more likely than men to get caught daydreaming while spending time with their family (48% vs. 44%).

Half Of Canadians Are Planning To Travel This Summer

Forty-six percent of Canadians typically make arrangements for their summer vacations in the spring; 22% make them in the summer; 14% in winter; and 3% in the fall. Fifteen percent of all Canadians say they never take a summer vacation.

• Quebecers are less likely to plan ahead in the winter (8%) and more likely to plan their summer travel in the summer (28%).

Half (47%) of Canadians are planning to take a trip this summer, that is, sometime between Victoria Day and Labour Day. This is equivalent to 10.7 million Canadians. Two in ten (21%) say they will not take a trip this summer and another 32% are still unsure.

• Albertans (55%) are most likely to be planning a summer trip this year; residents of BC (33%), Saskatchewan/Manitoba (34%), and Ontario (34%) are those most likely to decide closer to the date; and Quebecers and Atlantic Canadians (26% each) are more to not be planning a summer trip.
• The likelihood of planning to take a trip this summer increases with household income: 32% of lower income households plan to take a trip this summer vs. 44% middle income vs. 56% upper income households.

Six in ten (59%) anticipated summer travellers are considering going to the cottage or a stay with family. This compares to 74% who are planning a pleasure trip that involves paid accommodation and travel by car, airplane, train or boat. In total, 35% of all Canadians are planning a paid pleasure trip this summer. This is equivalent to 8 million Canadians.

• Anticipated summer travellers in Quebec (83%) are more likely than others to be planning a trip to a destination that involves paid accommodation and travel.
• Nationally, 35% of all Canadians are planning a paid pleasure trip this summer. Across the regions, 33% in BC, 37% in Alberta, 35% in Manitoba/Saskatchewan, 33% in Ontario, 39% in Quebec, and 31% in Atlantic Canada.

Five in ten (45%) anticipated travellers say they plan to take more trips than last summer. In addition, 47% plan to take the same amount of trips, while 9% plan to take fewer.

• Anticipated travellers 18-34 years of age are more likely to be taking more trips this year (54% vs. 41%), while those 35+ are more likely to be taking the same amount (51% vs. 35%).

Travel Details

Just half (47%) of Canadians currently have a valid passport (53% do not).

Atlantic Canadians (37%) are least likely to have a valid passport.

• Canadians 55 years of age or older are more likely than younger adults to have a valid passport (56% vs. 43%).
• Anticipated summer travellers are more likely than other Canadians to have a valid passport (58% vs. 35%).

Most (84%) Canadians who plan to travel this summer will stay in Canada--43% will vacation in another province and 63% will stay in their own province. Eighteen percent plan to visit the US and 19% will go somewhere else, including Europe (9%). One percent doesn't yet know where they will travel to.

• Those summer travellers planning a trip to the cottage/a stay with family are more likely than those planning a paid summer vacation to stay in Canada (93% vs. 81%). Conversely, those planning a paid summer vacation are more likely to be planning a trip to the US (22% vs. 16%), Europe (11% vs. 7%), or somewhere else (13% vs. 9%).

On average, anticipated travellers plan to spend $2,015 on their summer vacation this year. This is the equivalent of $21.7 billion in total.

• Men who plan to travel this summer anticipate spending more than women do ($2,154 vs. $1,877).
• Unsurprisingly, anticipated spending increases with household income: Lower income households plan to spend $1,323 on average vs. $1,650 for middle income households vs. $2,402 for upper income households.
• Also, to be expected, those planning a paid summer vacation expect to spend more than those planning a trip to the cottage/stay with family ($2,320 vs. $1,897). In total, Canadians planning a paid summer vacation plan to spend $18.5 billion on their trip.

Eight in ten (78%) Canadians use the Internet to obtain information about vacation destinations and half (47%) book or pay for their vacation packages, travel arrangements or hotel accommodation online.

• Quebecers (40%) are least likely to book travel online. (Likely a result of a language barrier.)
• Women are more likely than men to research travel online than men (80% vs. 76%); conversely, men are more likely to actually book online (24% vs. 20%).
• The likelihood of Canadians getting travel information via the internet and booking online increases with amount of household income: 61% of lower income households are researching online and 28% are booking; 77% of middle-income households re researching online and 38% are booking; and 87% of upper income households are researching online and 63% are booking.
• Those Canadians planning a paid summer vacation are more likely than those planning a trip to the cottage/stay with family to have researched online (93% vs. 89%) and/or booked online (67% vs. 61%) before.

For more Information on this news release, please contact:

Jennifer McLeod
Senior Research Manager
Ipsos Reid Public Affairs
416-324-2900
[email protected] For full tabular results, please visit our website www.ipsos.ca. News Releases are available at: http://www.ipsos-na.com/news/.

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Ipsos Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader, the country's leading provider of public opinion research, and research partner for loyalty and forecasting and modelling insights. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos Reid employs more than 600 research professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in the country, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and online panels. Ipsos Reid's marketing research and public affairs practices offer the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada, all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, Ipsos Reid offers syndicated information or custom solutions across key sectors of the Canadian economy, including consumer packaged goods, financial services, automotive, retail, and technology & telecommunications. Ipsos Reid is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group.

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