Survey Of Seven Major English- Canadian Markets Indicates That Majority (89%) Of Pleasure And Vacation Travellers Will Do It Again In 2002
As to where travelers may be headed, sometimes visiting more than one destination over the next two years--51% say that they plan to travel within Canada, 31% indicate the United States is where they plan to go, and 33% say that international travel planning is on their list.
These are some of the key findings of an Ipsos-Reid/Expedia Canada Corp. poll conducted between December 9th and 16th, 2001 among respondents in seven of English Canada's major markets (Halifax, Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver). According to the survey, respondents living in Edmonton (97%) are most likely to have travel intentions in this upcoming year while respondents living in Toronto (84%) represent the lowest proportion of intended travelers.
The poll is based on a randomly selected sample of 700 Canadians 18 years of age and older, who have taken at least one pleasure trip over the last two years (at least 80 kms from their home and involved an overnight stay, excluding cottages/vacation properties that they own), or who are likely to do so in the next two years. The interviews were distributed equally (100 each) in seven major markets -- Toronto, Ottawa, Halifax, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, and Winnipeg. With a sample of this size, the overall results are considered accurate to within 177 3.7 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 for each market is 177 9.8 percentage points nineteen times out of twenty. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population.
Respondents in the seven markets surveyed report that vacation travel is a valued activity. Overall six in ten (59%) say they consider a vacation or pleasure trip having a high importance in their overall quality of life, with three in ten (29%) saying it has a `very high importance'.
The survey not only asked these Canadians about their travel attitudes in general, but it also probed their preferences toward flexibility, choice, pay-one-price vacation packages and vacation research practices. The results show that when it comes to pay-one-price packages, the majority (81%) prefer to have the `flexibility to chose among options', as opposed to `have everything already defined and included' (14%).
Eight in ten (81%) respondents report that they prefer to do all (34%) of the research and make all the booking arrangements themselves or most (47%) of the research themselves but have a travel agent make the final booking arrangements. One in five (19%) prefer to have a travel agent do most of the research and booking arrangements (8%) or have them do all of the research and booking arrangements (11%). In this, those who like to do the research themselves say that they are `more confident/assured in the quality of their travel plans' (23%), they `like the choice' (13%), and they can `find better prices' (13%).
In conducting research for a vacation, the study also shows that across the markets surveyed nine in ten (87%) are very likely (68%) or somewhat likely (19%) use the Internet for vacation planning in the future. Further, more than half (54%) say they are very likely (31%) or somewhat likely (23%) to use the Internet in the future to book or pay for vacation travel, accommodations, packages etc.
Some other key findings of the poll indicate the following:
- Over the next two years the majority of respondents say they intend to travel within Canada. Close to eight in ten (78%) say they are `planning' (51%) or `seriously considering' (27%) traveling within Canada, while six in ten (59%) say they are `planning' (31%) or `seriously considering' (28%) travelling to the United States, and a further six in ten (61%) say they are `planning' (33%) or `seriously considering' (28%) travelling elsewhere abroad.
- Respondents living in Halifax (90%) and Calgary (89%) are most likely to be planning (62% and 67% respectively) or seriously considering (28% and 22% respectively) traveling within Canada in the next two years. Respondents in the Greater Toronto Area are least likely (71%; 47% planning and 24% seriously considering) to travel within Canada.
- Two thirds of residents in Vancouver (68%; 33% planning, 35% seriously considering) and the Greater Toronto Area (66%; 36% planning, 30% seriously considering) are likely to travel to the United States for a vacation trip in the next two years. Less than half of respondents in Edmonton (40%; 19% planning, 21% seriously considering) say the same.
- Seven in ten (70%) respondents in the Greater Toronto Area say they are planning (41%) or seriously considering (29%) travelling elsewhere internationally, compared to four in ten (42%; 20% planning, 22% seriously considering) of respondents in Halifax.
- As many as six in ten respondents in the Greater Toronto Area (63%), Vancouver (58%) and Winnipeg (58%) admit that vacations are a very important aspect of their overall quality of life. Just over half of respondents from Edmonton (56%), Ottawa (56%) and Halifax (56%) feel the same followed by just under half (48%) of respondents from Calgary.
- When respondents were asked whether they prefer a pay one price vacation package or having separate arrangements made for different parts of their trip, responses were evenly split (46% and 49% respectively). Those who prefer a pay one price package say the main reasons are `convenience' (46%), `no worry' (21%) and `better price/deal/value' (20%).
- Over half of respondents in the Greater Toronto Area (55%) say they prefer pay one price packages compared to separate arrangements (41%), and close to half (47%) of Ottawa respondents prefer packages to separate arrangements (41%).
- In terms of websites that respondents might use for researching and making vacation arrangements, the majority (72%) prefer web sites that are offer packages or options from a variety of airlines, resorts, tour operators etc., opposed to websites that are linked to specific existing airlines, tour companies etc., that focus on their own vacation packages (21%).
- Those living in Calgary are more likely to prefer to do most or all of their own research (91%), whereas about three-quarters of respondents in Edmonton (77%) and the Greater Toronto Area (77%) are as self-dependent.
- In the future over half of the respondents in Calgary (64%), Ottawa (62%) and the Greater Toronto Area (57%) say they are likely to book or pay for vacation arrangements over the Internet. Just under half of respondents in Winnipeg (48%), Halifax (48%), Edmonton (47%) and Vancouver (45%) believe they are likely to use the Internet in that capacity.
To view the complete release and tables, please download the attached PDF files.
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For more information on this news release, please contact:
John Wright
Senior Vice-President
Public Affairs
Ipsos-Reid
(416) 324-2900
