Almost Half of Canadians Confident They Will Take a Winter Vacation This Season, Up Six Points from 2017 Français
But the Main Reason for Travel is Surprising
TORONTO, Nov. 27, 2018 /CNW/ - Canadians are becoming more confident that they will travel this coming winter season. The third annual Canadian Winter Vacation Confidence Index by Allianz Global Assistance, a leading provider of travel insurance and assistance services, shows that 47 per cent of Canadians plan to take a break this winter, a significant six-point increase from last year. Confidence is highest among Albertans (53%) and lowest in B.C. (41%).
Conducted by Ipsos at the end of October, 2018, the Index also reveals why Canadians are travelling, and the results are surprising.
Popular opinion is that Canadians cannot wait to escape the cold and snow over the typical winter travel season from December until March. However, when asked about the reason for their next trip, 35 per cent said it was to relax and retreat, followed by 25 per cent who indicated they would be visiting family and friends, and 20 per cent who said they would be exploring new places. Nationally, only 15 per cent said their next trip was to escape the cold and snow. Among respondents in Saskatchewan and Manitoba it was much higher, revealing that 28 per cent were taking a trip to escape the weather.
"Canadians are becoming more confident about their ability to take an annual vacation, and 70 per cent of us believe that annual vacations are important, but there is still a large deficit when it comes to reality," says Dan Keon, Vice President, Market Management, Allianz Global Assistance Canada. "Surprisingly, 31 per cent of Canadians have not had a vacation in more than two years, but it is encouraging to see that down from 36 per cent in 2016. However, only 56 per cent of us actually took a vacation in the past 12 months."
When asked about the main reason for not taking a vacation, almost two-thirds of respondents (65%) indicated that it was for budgetary reasons, with Gen Xers the highest at 76 per cent.
"Cost is certainly an issue when considering a vacation but confidence in the economy may account for the increase in Canadians who said they will take a vacation this season," adds Keon. The Conference Board of Canada reported in October that Canadian consumer confidence had risen 4.6 points, the highest since February, 2018. "Spending has remained the same over the past three years but confidence in the ability to actually take a vacation has been increasing. On average, Canadians spend $1,000-$3,000 on their winter vacations (48%) with 13 per cent spending $500-$1,000."
Age and location also appear to be major factors in Canadians' confidence in taking a vacation in the next 12 months. Confidence is highest in Alberta and Quebec (75%), followed by Ontario (71%), B.C. (69%), Atlantic Canada (66%) and Saskatchewan/Manitoba (61%).
Millennials have the highest confidence in their ability to take a vacation (58%) compared to Gen Xers (46%) and Boomers (40%), with men more confident than women at 55 and 40 per cent respectively.
"When it comes to travel, Canadians are becoming more confident but they are still clearly cost-conscious," said Keon. "Allianz Global Assistance recommends that when making plans, travellers should always budget for the cost of trip cancellation and medical travel insurance. Before you've even left, the last thing you want is to be out of pocket due to having to unexpectedly cancel your trip for a reason that may have been covered by travel insurance. Even more importantly, it's critical that Canadian travellers have appropriate coverage in place to protect themselves from the potentially catastrophic cost of medical treatment abroad due to an unexpected injury or illness while on vacation."
The findings of the Canadian Winter Vacation Confidence Index are the result of an Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of Allianz Global Assistance Canada. A total of 2,005 surveys were completed among Canadian adults between October 23 and October 29, 2018. A survey of this size is considered accurate within plus-or-minus 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
Allianz Global Assistance (Canada)
For 30 years, Allianz Global Assistance has supported travelling Canadians when they need it most with value-added travel insurance and assistance services. More than 800 employees support long-term partnerships with some of the best known brands in the travel and financial services markets. Allianz Global Assistance also serves as an outsource provider for in-bound call centre services and claims administration for health insurers, property and casualty insurers and credit card companies. Allianz Global Assistance is a specialist brand of Allianz Partners for assistance and travel insurance, and is a registered business name of AZGA Service Canada Inc. and AZGA Insurance Agency Canada Ltd. For more information, visit www.allianz-assistance.ca.
Allianz Partners
Dedicated to bringing global protection and care, Allianz Partners is the B2B2C leader in assistance and insurance solutions in the following areas of expertise: assistance, international health & life, automotive and travel insurance. These solutions, which are a unique combination of insurance, service and technology, are available to business partners or via direct and digital channels under four commercial brands: Allianz Assistance, Allianz Care, Allianz Automotive and Allianz Travel.
This global family of over 19,000 employees is present in 78 countries, speaks 70 languages and handles 54 million cases per year, protecting customers and employees on all continents.
For more information, please visit: www.allianz-partners.com.
SOURCE Allianz Global Assistance Canada
Press Contact: Dan Keon, Vice President, Market Management, Allianz Global Assistance, Email: [email protected], Tel: 647.680.2893
Share this article