Canadians ready to travel more and in new ways in 2024
According to the 2024 Blue Cross Travel Study, 79 per cent of Canadians plan to travel outside their home province or territory in the next year, an increase of 10 per cent from the previous year. supplied
Canadians appear to be emerging from a period of dampened enthusiasm for travelling, where the stresses of travel kept them closer to home.
The 2024 Blue Cross Travel Study reports that the percentage of Canadians planning to travel this year is on the rise compared to 2023. In the survey taken late last year, insurance provider Blue Cross asked Canadians questions about past travel behaviours as well as respondents’ plans for the year ahead.
“Canadians are certainly concerned about rising prices on many fronts, and that includes travel,” says Tim Bishop, managing director of Blue Cross of Canada. “Our study found that 46 per cent of Canadians reported recently travelling less, often because of increased costs. When looking ahead, however, we see the outlook is shifting. People are becoming more optimistic about travel and are planning more trips in the coming year.”
A significant majority of those surveyed, 79 per cent, said they plan to travel outside their home province or territory in the coming 12 months, which is 10 percentage points higher than the previous year.
Another finding sheds light on potential reasons for a surge of optimism about travelling: travel-related stress among Canadians has significantly decreased.
Travel stress
In the aftermath of the pandemic, Blue Cross found that travel stressors lingered. But now, Canadians are feeling less worried that problems will arise on a trip.
In fact, nearly all Canadians (96 per cent) recognize the benefits of travel, with the top-cited benefits being “time to recharge,” “reduced burnout” and “improvement to mental health.”
“Our 2024 study found that travel stress has declined significantly,” says Bishop. “Less than half of Canadians (48 per cent) reported experiencing stress when travelling now, compared to 89 per cent the year before. Plus, respondents anticipate that travel will be even less stressful in the future, as our lives continue to normalize.”
“Our 2024 study found that travel stress has declined significantly. Less than half of Canadians (48 per cent) reported experiencing stress when travelling now, compared to 89 per cent the year before.”
However, some challenges remain. The most common concerns identified by Canadians include hospital or doctor bills in other countries, the cost of rerouting cancelled or delayed flights, and the cost of replacing lost or stolen luggage – all things that travel insurance can help with through emergency medical coverage, flight delay service and baggage insurance.
“Canadians recognize the power of travel to help you relax and recharge and are taking steps to make sure their investment in travel pays off, including by purchasing travel insurance,” Bishop says.
Most Canadians (87 per cent) recognize that travelling without insurance can be risky, and they are most concerned about significant hospital or doctor bills.
Overall, 57 per cent of Canadians purchase travel insurance at least occasionally, if not for every trip; however, generational differences exist. Younger people are less likely to automatically purchase insurance for their trips, even though they report higher levels of travel stress and more travel-related complications than people in older generations.
For instance, “When asked to estimate the cost of an overnight emergency room stay in a U.S. hospital, young Canadians were more likely to underestimate that cost,” Bishop explains. “Such hospital bills can be thousands of dollars, while an emergency medical care travel policy costs approximately the same as a daily cup of coffee for those individuals.”
Creative new ways to travel
While Canadians are looking at more affordable options, including staycations and travel within Canada, they are also getting creative about their pursuit of novel travel experiences.
“There is a move towards solo travel, with half of Canadians travelling on their own at least sometimes,” says Bishop. “Another trend is combining remote work and travel. The study found that 29 per cent of working Canadians have either temporarily relocated or plan to relocate for work, and another 41 per cent would like to do so. This trend is strongest among younger Canadians.”
Another key finding was Canadians’ growing interest in ecotourism vacations. “We found that many Canadians, 82 per cent, cited interest in this type of travel,” Bishop says. Although about a quarter of Canadians (26 per cent) reported they had already taken or are currently planning an ecotourism trip, Blue Cross expects to see visits to natural areas with a focus on conservation and sustainability increase this year and beyond.
“The environment is a priority for many Canadians, and ecotourism provides a new experience for those who have done more traditional types of trips,” he says.
“It’s clear that people are looking for new and creative ways to travel. It will be interesting to continue to monitor these trends as Canadians’ interest in travel undergoes a revival.”
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