With increased traffic to Virtuoso.com from Canadians resulting in 227% more page views this year over last, the global network specializing in luxury and experiential travel crunched its latest numbers to produce a festive travel trends report that breaks down the travel habits of Canadians heading into the holiday season and into 2024.
Released at Virtuoso’s recent Canada Forum in Vancouver, which was attended by
48 of the network’s regional travel agency owners and managers, network GM for Canada Úna O’Leary revealed data and insights that identified when, where, and how upscale Canadian travellers would be conducting their travels.
Among the insights:
Average booking window is closing in
Over the course of the past three years, it has been a roller coaster ride for the average booking window for travellers, but recent data shows Canadians are now booking more last-minute and spontaneous trips. In 2019, the average booking window was 77 days. In 2021, the number increased to 186 days and now is normalizing to 64 days in mid-2023.
Cruises continue to be popular
Premium and luxury cruises are leading the way in terms of demand among Canadians (9% and 21% growth, respectively, over 2019). Moreover, Canadians are leaning into their adventurous spirit with expedition cruising showing an 81% increase over 2019. River cruising has jumped up by 30%, and yacht cruising is up 60% from 2019, indicating a strong trend to explore cultural destinations via smaller, more intimate ships.
Top 5 cruise ports this winter
Based on Virtuoso’s insights using Tourism Economics data, the network has identified the top five most popular cruise ports for this festive season as Cozumel, St.Maarten, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, and St. Kitts and Nevis.
Where Canadians are travelling December to March
Based on Virtuoso’s future hotel bookings from Dec. 1, 2023, to Feb. 29, 2024, the top 10 winter destinations include:
1. United States
2. France
3. Bahamas
4. Saint Kitts and Nevis
5. Mexico
6. Barbados
7. Anguilla
8. Maldives
9. Spain
10. Saint Barthélemy
“Interestingly, typical spring and summer destinations, such as France and Spain, are (also) seeing an increase in bookings from Canadians for the festive season, showing that travellers are taking advantage of reduced crowds and increased availability,” observed O’Leary.
*Booking analysis is based on transactional data sourced from Virtuoso’s travel agency members.