The Data Has Spoken: Cheapest Destinations Revealed In Cheapflights.ca Compass Report

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May 24, 2017, 13:34 ET

Hidden Gems, Swap-and-Saves Yield Big Savings for Flexible Travellers

Delhi and London win most popular destinations and New York City and Boston named most affordable for Canadians

TORONTO, May 24, 2017 /CNW/ -- Want to get some insight into Canadians' travel priorities? Interested in knowing how airfares to top destinations across the country and around the world stack up? Looking for cost-saving travel tips? The travel experts at Cheapflights.ca, the champions of simple travel search, are here to help with their second annual Compass Report for Canada.

Based on an analysis of more than 11.5 million searches from six major cities (Calgary, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver and Winnipeg) pulled from more than 73 years of collective search time over the last 12 months, the Cheapflights Compass Report delves into the most popular destinations on a national and local level, showing where Canadians are looking to go and what it costs to get there.

Starting with search patterns and priorities, the collective data revealed a lot about where travel search fits into our lives: For instance, the peak search time is from 8-9 pm, particularly on Tuesday nights, with a majority of searches – 60 per cent – done on mobile devices. Additionally, we can see where, by region, Canadians seek to travel:

  • The global breakdown is North America (41 per cent), Asia (29 per cent), Europe (20 per cent), Africa (5 per cent), South America (4 per cent) and Oceania (2 per cent).
  • For those searching for flights within North America, 46 per cent were headed to the U.S. while 26 per cent were pricing Canadian destinations and 28 per cent spots in Mexico and the tropics.

Getting into more detail about what's popular, we rolled up the data from the six cities and pulled out the 101 most-searched destinations. The line-up is an interesting mix of the near and far. In a shift from last year, Cancun, Toronto and Paris edged out three U.S. favourites, Los Angeles, Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, from last year's rankings.

10 Most Popular Destinations



1

Delhi, India

2

London, United Kingdom

3

Manila, Philippines

4

Paris, France

5

Las Vegas, Nevada

6

New York, New York

7

Vancouver, British Columbia

8

Toronto, Ontario

9

Bangkok, Thailand

10

Cancun, Mexico

The core of the report, however, is the ranking of these 101 destinations by their affordability as that is the guide to how Canadians' favourite spots compare in price. Here's the line-up of the 10 cheapest places to go, on average:

10 Cheapest Destinations




1

New York, New York

$348

2

Boston, Massachusetts

$375

3

Washington, D.C.

$424

4

Chicago, Illinois

$442

5

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

$470

6

Cancun, Mexico

$476

7

Orlando, Florida

$478

8

Tampa, Florida

$481

9

San Juan, Puerto Rico

$483

10

Los Angeles, California

$502

Once again, no destination in Canada broke into the top 10 ranking on price. Halifax did come in at number 11 with an average airfare of $509, followed by Ottawa, ranked 16 with an average airfare of $535, and then Winnipeg, which was number 17 on the list with an average airfare of $554.

VALUE HUNTING HINTS

For those looking to save on their next vacation, the Compass Report offers plenty of useful intel about emerging deal destinations and tips for finding the type of getaway they want for the budget they have:

  • Florida's deal destination: Fort Lauderdale ($470) is the most affordable spot in Florida. On average, it's $60 cheaper than flying into Miami ($530).
  • Emerging tropical deals: While prices are climbing to some Caribbean hot spots, like Jamaica ($711) and the Dominican Republic ($744), airfares to some emerging Central America destinations such as Guatemala ($584) and Costa Rica ($585) are trending down.
  • South America savings: Canadians can save more than $500 by flying to Lima, Peru, ($829) instead of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, ($1,351).
  • Accessible Asia: Asia is getting more popular and more affordable. It's cheaper to go to Beijing, China, ($854) than to Dublin, Ireland, ($893) or Amsterdam, Netherlands, ($914).
  • Bucket list options: Is seeing an "active volcano" high on your to-do list? You have options. It will cost you about the same to view one in Hawaii ($724) as it would in Reykjavik, Iceland, ($731).
  • Looking for the charms of old world Spain? If you want cobblestone streets and colonial sights, opt for San Juan, Puerto Rico, ($483) or Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, ($560) instead of Barcelona ($948) or Madrid ($993) and save more than $400.
  • Planning a trip to India? Delhi, India, ($1,248) is the best gateway into India followed by Mumbai ($1,328) and Bangalore ($1,329).

More swap and save options:

  • Cancun, Mexico, ($476) over Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, ($560)
  • San Juan, Puerto Rico, ($483) over Havana, Cuba, ($640)
  • London, England, ($834) over Rome, Italy ($987)

See the full affordability rankings of the 101 most-searched destinations at www.cheapflights.ca/news/2017-compass-report-canada.

KEY TAKEAWAYS ­– CITY BY CITY
The report also drills down into the 25 most popular destinations for those travelling from each of the six key markets, providing some valuable local insights. While many of the regional hotspots are traditional vacation destinations, some of the most-searched cities are tied to the increasingly diverse population of Canada, underscoring that travel is also about ties to family and heritage. A prime example: Delhi topped the national list for most-searched destinations as well as the local list for Toronto and ranked as the second most popular with travellers from Vancouver and third with those from Calgary and Winnipeg. Likewise, Manila was the second most-searched destination for travellers from Calgary and Winnipeg and the fourth most popular spot for those in Toronto and Vancouver.

Toronto featured widely in regional lists as well, scoring the top spot on the most popular list for Calgarians and Winnipeggers and ranking number three for Vancouverites. It's also worth noting that the cheapest flight within Canada is that well travelled route, Montreal-Toronto, ($227).

Read on for some highlights from each market:

CALGARY

  • Most popular destinations: Toronto, Ontario, ($634); Manila, Philippines, ($1,181); Delhi, India ($1,319)
  • Most affordable: Seattle, Washington ($389); Vancouver, British Columbia, ($400); San Francisco, California, ($454)
  • Beyond the U.S. and Canada: Cancun, Mexico, ($574); San Jose, Costa Rica, ($656); Tokyo, Japan, ($913)
  • Swap and save destinations: New York, New York, ($548) over Toronto, Ontario, ($634); Tokyo, Japan, ($913) over Bangkok, Thailand, ($1,135) or Los Angeles, California, ($466) over Orlando, Florida, ($622)

See the 25 most popular spots for Calgary travellers ranked by affordability at www.cheapflights.ca/news/2017-compass-report-calgary.

MONTREAL

  • Most popular destinations: Casablanca, Morocco, ($1,070); Paris, France, ($818); Fort Lauderdale, Florida, ($463)
  • Most affordable: Toronto, Ontario, ($227); New York, New York, ($268); Fort Lauderdale, Florida, ($463)
  • Beyond the U.S. and Canada: Cancun, Mexico, ($503); Mexico City, Mexico, ($578); Havana, Cuba, ($586)
  • Swap and save destinations: San Jose, Costa Rica, ($588) over Varadero, Cuba, ($618); Fort Lauderdale, Florida, ($463) over Miami, Florida, ($533) or Havana, Cuba, ($586) over Varadero, Cuba, ($618)

See the 25 most popular spots for Montreal travellers ranked by affordability at www.cheapflights.ca/news/2017-compass-report-montreal.

OTTAWA

  • Most popular destinations: London, England, ($918); Orlando, Florida, ($485); Vancouver, British Columbia, ($839)
  • Most affordable: Toronto, Ontario, ($258); New York, New York, ($379); Halifax, Nova Scotia, ($413)
  • Beyond the U.S. and Canada: Cancun, Mexico, ($464); San Jose, Costa Rica, ($656); Varadero, Cuba, ($690)
  • Swap and save destinations: San Jose, Costa Rica, ($656) over Honolulu, Hawaii, ($848); Fort Lauderdale, Florida, ($477) over Miami, Florida, ($526) or Tokyo, Japan, ($1,170) over Bangkok, Thailand, ($1,291).

See the 25 most popular spots for Ottawa travellers ranked by affordability at www.cheapflights.ca/news/2017-compass-report-ottawa.

TORONTO

  • Most popular destinations: Delhi, India, ($1,277 ); London, England, ($782); New York, New York, ($305)
  • Most affordable: New York, New York, ($305); Cancun, Mexico, ($435); Orlando, Florida, ($443)
  • Beyond the U.S. and Canada: Cancun, Mexico, ($435); San Jose, Costa Rica, ($551); Varadero, Cuba, ($599)
  • Swap and save destinations: Paris, France, ($787) over Frankfurt, Germany, ($865) or Orlando, Florida, ($443) over Miami, Florida, ($498) or Los Angeles, California, ($572) over San Francisco, California, ($603).

See the 25 most popular spots for Toronto travellers ranked by affordability at www.cheapflights.ca/news/2017-compass-report-toronto.

VANCOUVER

  • Most popular destinations: Beijing, China, ($802); Delhi, India, ($1,118); Toronto, Ontario, ($700)
  • Most affordable: Los Angeles, California, ($333); San Francisco, California, ($391); Calgary, Alberta, ($401)
  • Beyond the U.S. and Canada: Cancun, Mexico, ($527); San Jose, Costa Rica, ($588); Beijing, China, ($802)
  • Swap and save destinations: Los Angeles, California, ($333) over Las Vegas, Nevada, ($412); New York, New York, ($540) over Toronto, Ontario, ($700) or Hong Kong ($813) over Taipei, Taiwan, ($891).

See the 25 most popular spots for Vancouver travellers ranked by affordability at www.cheapflights.ca/news/2017-compass-report-vancouver.

WINNIPEG

  • Most popular destinations: Toronto, Ontario, ($504); Manila, Philippines, ($1,333); Delhi, India, ($1,482)
  • Most affordable: Edmonton, Alberta, ($398); Calgary, Alberta, ($485); New York, New York, ($494)
  • Beyond the U.S. and Canada: Cancun, Mexico, ($583); Varadero, Cuba, ($788); London, England, ($968)
  • Swap and save destinations: Toronto, Ontario, ($504) over Vancouver, British Columbia, ($574); Cancun, Mexico, ($583) over Miami, Florida, ($649) or Varadero, Cuba, ($788) over Honolulu, Hawaii, ($849)

See the 25 most popular spots for Winnipeg travellers ranked by affordability at:  www.cheapflights.ca/news/2017-compass-report-winnipeg.

NOTE TO EDITORS:

The Cheapflights Compass is an annual research report from Cheapflights.ca. It taps into search, price and travel trends to uncover insights that help consumers make informed, savvy vacation decisions. The Compass Report ranks the most popular destinations on a national and regional level based on the average roundtrip airfares (taxes included) for flights from six key airports across Canada. The insights are based on searches via Cheapflights from May 1, 2016, to April 30, 2017. All prices are in Canadian dollars.

To see how results stack up against the 2016 annual Cheapflights Compass Report for Canadian travellers, visit: www.cheapflights.ca/news/2016-compass-report-canada.

About Cheapflights.ca, part of the Momondo Group
Founded in 1996, Cheapflights is a leading global flight comparison and deals publishing platform dedicated to taking the complexity out of finding the best value flights through the application of innovative, intuitive technologies: Smart search. Made simple. It is now a market leader in the U.K., U.S., Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand generating more than C$4 billion in global downstream revenue for its partners as it expands into numerous other territories. More than 120 million users visit its websites and apps each year, receiving more than two billion search results a month from across 900,000 routes. The 10 million strong opt-in subscribers to the Cheapflights newsletter receive the best deals from more than 120 travel businesses – for whom it has driven more than C$80 million in revenue this year. Together, the Cheapflights platforms generate enough bookings for its partners to fill a Boeing 747 every five minutes.

In 2011, Cheapflights became part of the privately owned online travel search and inspiration network, Momondo Group.

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