Summer Is Here, and Canadians Are on the Move

As summer gets under way, Canada’s leisure travel agents are reporting healthy vacation bookings and increased spending – including on Europe vacations, active travel, and specialized experiences.

Travel Market Report spoke with travel agents across Canada for an update. Here’s what they said.

Europe is strong
While the Caribbean and cruising are typical escapes for Canadians in winter, this summer many are turning to Europe.

“We’ve seen a huge increase in our Europe business. People are spending money. They’re not looking for that $699 holiday,” said Barb Crowe, president of Ixtapa Travel, an Ensemble agency in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

“Our long stays for Portugal and Spain are strong right now,” Crowe said. And it’s not just among retirees, the usual market for extended vacations abroad.

“We’re seeing people who are still businesspeople, who can work from whatever little apartment they may be in. It’s so easy to do business wherever you are in the world with all of the technology,” she said.
 
Venturing further afield
Dean Horvath, owner of Vancouver’s Mason Horvath, a Virtuoso agency that specializes in high-end FITs, is also seeing a lot of Europe traffic, including to areas beyond the major destinations.

“For us the biggest, by far, are the mainstays of Italy, France and England, but people are doing a lot of the outskirts. They’re getting away from the big cities and seeing other things,” he said.

“One big trend that’s becoming even bigger is the prevalence of food and wine. Now they’re talking about specific restaurants they want to visit that they’ve seen on TV. We get a lot of requests around food instead of us just supplying restaurant suggestions to them.”

River cruises – and Cuba
River cruises in Europe continue to be red-hot among Canadian travelers, but other river cruise destinations, including the Mekong in Vietnam, are gaining interest among clients, as well.

One newer cruise destination for Canadians is Cuba. Alberta, Calgary-based Cuba Cruise launched operations in January and plans to operate its first Cuba sailing aboard the Louis Cristal in December.

“We’ve got people interested in doing a one-week all-inclusive resort in Cuba and combining it with the Cuba cruise,” said Allayne Clark with Banks Travel, a TRAVELSAVERS agency in Penticton, British Colombia.

Traveling with family
Multigenerational travel continues to be a strong market for agents.

“Grandparents are taking extended vacations and will tend to go for an all-inclusive in Mexico or the Caribbean, and the bigger premium cruise lines like Disney, Celebrity and Princess,” said Lesley Keyter, president of South Travel, an Ensemble member in Calgary.

“Hawaii is very popular as well, with families renting a couple of two-bedroom apartments,” she said.

Getting active, to varying degrees
In another sustained trend, Canada’s travelers are incorporating a bit of adventure and physical activity into their trips, agents said.

“Active travel is really what’s happening in our marketplace,” said Stephanie Anevich, executive vice president of Vision 2000, a Virtuoso affiliate in Toronto.  

Active means different things to different clients, she noted. “You can do zip lining and sit on the beach for a week, or you can go climb Mount Kilimanjaro. ‘Active’ is the word we use, because we let everyone decides what it means to them,” Anevich said.

Spending more to get more
South Travel’s Keytor said that her clients who have money are willing to spend more for special touches and extra attention.

“I’m getting a lot of requests from baby boomers for personal guiding – pick them up at their hotel, take them to an exhibition and take them back to their hotel. Someone to take care of all that hassle.

“It’s what’s clients expect these days. If you want the ordinary experience you can book that on your own. They want the extraordinary experiences,” she said.