High inflation and COVID-19 are undermining some Canadians’ travel hopes as the season approaches, according to a new survey.
Currently, 77 per cent of the 1,001 Canadians surveyed via Ipsos exclusively for Global News in October said they were comfortable travelling to Canada during the holidays, while 55 per cent said the same for overseas travel.
For those who traveled in comfort, 65% said the best hotels and ticket prices, for example, held them back, and 61% said they were afraid of contracting COVID-19 or worried about being relaxed. Travel restrictions.
The Ipsos survey comes as officials worry about an imaginable recession during a winter when respiratory illnesses such as COVID-19 and flu are expected to circulate more widely.
As a result, some Canadians are keeping their travel expectations in check during the traditionally busy holiday season,” said Sean Simpson, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs for Ipsos Canada.
“All of this on a scale of scales leads many Canadians to say it probably wouldn’t be worth it,” he told Global News.
“If they can save money, save their health, their headaches and some of those trips abroad, some think this is possibly the way to go. “
The Ipsos survey, which was conducted Oct. 18-20, comes as Ottawa warns of a global economic slowdown next year due to skyrocketing inflation, which stood at 6. 9% in September. However, Canada is ready for whatever comes its way this winter despite “significantly weaker growth,” according to the government’s economic downturn released last Thursday.
Meanwhile, COVID-19 continues to circulate. Health Canada has approved a series of bivalent vaccines designed to lessen the effects of contagious subvariants of Omicron. The World Health Organization is tracking more than three hundred Omicron subvariants as Canada and other Northern Hemisphere countries enter winter, a season when respiratory illnesses such as influenza can circulate smoothly.
The Ipsos survey also found that 48% of respondents said they were wary of airport issues, such as lost luggage, that persisted over the summer, while 30% said they felt uncomfortable with airlines that didn’t make sure they had express seats or flights. In addition, 31% of Canadians say they are uncomfortable with political instability in other countries, while 21% are concerned about impractical and unnecessary fitness regulations.
“Canadians say, ‘If I’m going to eliminate some of the luxuries from my life, I’m possibly one of the first to disappear,'” Simpson said.
“Canadians are more financially prudent and many say that, as a result, they probably wouldn’t do it overseas. “
Canada’s industry, which was hit after the pandemic began in 2020, struggled to restart after Canadians rushed to airports when restrictions were eased earlier this year.
Long lines, flight delays and lost luggage plagued the industry during the spring and summer.
However, since inflation doesn’t disappear easily, it’s possible the industry will see fewer orders booked this holiday season, said Kiefer Van Mulligen, an economist at the Conference Board of Canada.
Canadians no longer have “the same kind of discretionary spending firepower” they had this year and will rethink their priorities, he said.
“Even if they travel, the number of places they stop or the amount of money they spend on those trips may not be as important as in the past. This is important for the recovery of the tourism industry,” Van said. Mulligen.
“If other people don’t spend as much money, it will be a slower path to some kind of pre-pandemic levels. This will slow down the speed of recovery. “
Air Canada, the country’s largest passenger plane, told Global News it sees a “very strong” call for recreational and tropical travel this winter that exceeds 2019 levels. Advance sales of long-haul travel tickets were also strong in the company’s third quarter. A spokesperson said in an email.
“You will recall that in the first six months of 2021, flights to Mexico and the Caribbean were suspended and restrictions were still in place for the following winter, so many consumers are eager to return to Array,” they said.
Demand this holiday season will likely be higher than in 2021 and 2020, Simpson said.
He pointed to the Ipsos ballot that found younger Canadians are more comfortable to travel than older generations, with 68% of respondents aged 18 to 34 saying they would, compared with 43% of Canadians over 55.
“I hope to recover from last year, (but) it will most likely be even softer than in 2019,” Simpson said.
“But you’ll see a lot more young people on planes this holiday season, while older adults . . . They will take steps to protect their financial situation, i. e. those with steady incomes, so we may see fewer seniors. “Travel this winter.
These are some of the findings of an Ipsos vote held between October 18 and 20 for Global News. For this survey, a pattern of 1001 Canadians over the age of 18 was interviewed. Quotas and weightings were used to ensure that the composition of the pattern reflected that of the Canadian population according to census parameters. The accuracy of Ipsos online ballots is measured in a period of credibility. In this case, the survey is accurate to ± 3. 5 percentage points, 19 out of 20 times, if all Canadians over the age of 18 had been surveyed. The credibility period will be longer among subsets of the population. All pattern and ballot surveys would possibly be subject to other error resources, including, but not limited to, policy errors and measurement errors.
– with Craig Lord of Global News