Four in 10 Canadians travellers (40%) – and even more in Quebec (45%) – plan to plan to book their next vacation with the help of a travel professional, according to new research by Transat Distribution Canada. The survey, conducted by Ipsos, shows a significant increase over 2023, when 31% of Canadian and 38% of Quebec customers registered similar sentiment.

The cross-country study over 900 Canadian said three main reasons why they do so are almost all equivalent in terms of importance:

• Being able to book everything from a single place
• Making travel arrangements less stressful, and,
• Talking to a real person and having the opportunity to really verbalize their needs.

“In short, (it’s) the human factor,” says Marc Pelletier, Sr. Director, Marketing, Communications and Events at TDC, who calls the findings of the study are “positive” for travel professionals.

And that includes TDC agencies and affiliates, which scored highly in brand confidence by Canadians, with Pelletier stating, “Our association with Transat is certainly a factor in this equation.”

Karine Gagnon, GM of TDC, said, “”It’s essential for a network of TDC’s stature to take the pulse of the market formally, to survey the travel intentions of Canadian customers at regular intervals, and above all, to measure the resonance of our brands. Our last study of this kind took place before the pandemic, so this portrait of travellers’ intentions comes at just the right time.

“This data is enlightening for our members, and helps them to structure their advertising offensives better, aligning them with the interests of their customers,” she continued. “Overall, the survey shows that travel professionals continue to occupy an enviable place with Canadians when it comes to planning and booking their next vacation, a very positive trend for all TDC network members, whether they work in our franchised or affiliated agencies, in one of our corporate agencies, or our agent@home program. Canadians know they are real experts, specially trained to meet their specific needs.”.

Where and how will Canadians travel in 2024?

• According to the survey, Canadians’ top three preferences are the US (37%), their province (35%), and then Canada in a province other than their own (33%).
• After the US, the next most popular international destinations are Mexico and the Caribbean (29%), followed by Europe (27%).
• When it comes to choosing a means of transport, air travel is far ahead (68%), and the car comes second (50%).
• As for accommodation, hotels are still by far the favourite choice for Canadians, at 73%, followed by house or apartment rentals, at 34%.
• And 90% of Canadian travellers say they are very or fairly likely to travel in 2024.

Transat Distribution Canada (TDC) is a full-service travel agency network with some 325 locations. The network includes the Transat Travel, Marlin Travel, Club Voyages, TravelPlus and Voyages en Liberté brands, as well as other affiliate members and agent@home advisors.