The rising cost of travel has trumped the pandemic as the chief concern of Canadians as the summer travel season kicked off on the Victoria Day holiday weekend, according to a new poll by online travel agency CheapOair Canada.

Increased travel fees (8.7%) overtook COVID/variants related to COVID (7.5%) as the top concern among Canadians when it comes to travel, particularly as gas prices are hitting an all-time high.

The poll also asked Canadians which travel destination and activities they are most looking forward to, while also looking into what their top travel concerns continue to be.

The study found that over 36% of Canadians listed Canada as their preferred travel destination this summer, followed by the US (7.1%) and then Europe (5%).

Unsurprisingly, given the nature of winter in Canada, the poll also revealed that beach vacations led the way as the activity Canadians are most excited for (11.5%). Secondary questions revealed that they plan to find their ideal beach vacation within Canada first, followed by the Caribbean and then Mexico.

“We know as the warmer weather arrives, Canadians are eager to get out and travel – whether by air or the always popular road trip – however inflation costs and travel fees have now become the top concern,” said Daniel Hayter, Senior Product Manager for CheapOair.ca.

The findings were reported from a study conducted by CheapOair.ca during the spring, with results determined automatically through a third-party tracking system.