A majority of Ontarians are not aware of the province’s new ‘Staycation’ tax credit for 2022, according to a newly released survey. Conducted by online travel agency CheapOair.ca, the poll found that two-thirds (66%) of respondents did not know about the incentive, which allows residents to claim up to 20% of eligible expenses while holidaying in the province this year.
However, of those who do know about the newly unveiled credit, introduced by the government to support the province’s tourism sector, 55% of respondents stated they were highly likely (30.4%) and likely (25%) to travel to claim the tax credit.
Sponsored by CheapOair.ca, the survey was designed to better understand the perception towards the staycation credit, which will allow travellers to claim up to 20% of eligible leisure accommodation expenses for stays that occur between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2022, when filing their personal 2022 Income Tax (individuals can claim up to $1,000 and families can claim up to $2,000 of eligible expenses to get back returns of up to $200 and $400 respectively), but also to gauge 2022 travel perception and concerns as restrictions are slowly lifted.
To that end, the survey revealed that the biggest concerns related to travel for Ontarians continues to be ‘exposure to COVID-19′ and the variants (34.8 %), followed by ‘flights being cancelled’ and ‘being unable to return from the destination’ (tied at 17.3%) as the next concerns.
Additional results worth noting:
• Adventure above all else: As it relates to type of travel, half of all Ontario respondents (50%) expressed interest in going on an outdoor/adventure trip while over a third (34%) are interested in exploring Family Theme Parks, indicating that Ontarians are looking to get out and explore the great outdoors more as opposed to staying home and not travelling.
• Canadians are road warriors: A majority of Ontario respondents (61%) prioritize travel via personal/owned vehicles ahead of air (35%), rental vehicles (12%), or rail (8%).
• Consumer confidence: Roughly one-quarter of consumers (24.2%) say their travel confidence has been unchanged over the past three months, with 22% of respondents claiming that their confidence in travelling has decreased and 20% saying their confidence has increased.
“What this survey showed us was that Ontarians were not aware of the available travel savings, in light of the fact that they are eager to plan travel,” said CheapOair.ca Senior Product Manager Daniel Hayter.
The survey was conducted over a 12-day period from Jan. 15 to 26, with results determined automatically through a third-party tracking system. The survey was representative of Ontario consumers that visited the CheapOair.ca website, regardless of whether a booking was made or not.