Canadians are increasingly turning to travel advisors to help plan the perfect holiday, a new poll states.
A study commissioned by Transat Distribution Canada and conducted by Ipsos found that 40% of Canadian travellers (and 45% of Quebec travellers) plan to book their next vacation with the help of a travel professional. That’s a significant bump from last year, when 31% of Canadian and 38% of Quebec customers used a travel advisor.
"Overall, the survey shows that travel professionals continue to occupy an enviable place with Canadians when it comes to planning and booking their next vacation; a very positive trend for all TDC network members, whether they work in our franchised or affiliated agencies, in one of our corporate agencies, or our agent@home program,” said Karine Gagnon, General Manager of Transat Distribution Canada. “Canadians know they are real experts, specially trained to meet their specific needs.”
“Our last study of this kind took place before the pandemic, so this portrait of travellers' intentions comes at just the right time,” said Gagnon. "This data is enlightening for our members, and helps them to structure their advertising offensives better, aligning them with the interests of their customers.”
"The brands of TDC's franchised agencies - Marlin Travel in English Canada and Club Voyages in Quebec - enjoy an enviable reputation with customers, as do those of our corporate agencies, Transat Travel/ Voyages Transat. What's more, they are also at the top of the list of brands that inspire the most confidence in Canadians, with an average of 3.6 (out of 5) in English Canada and 3.8 in Quebec, and our association with Transat is certainly a factor in this equation,” said Marc Pelletier, Senior Director, Marketing, Communications and Events at TDC
"We know that brand awareness is important when choosing a company, and especially when it comes to trust. This is even truer when we're talking about a service company. This trust, built over the long term, is a differentiating factor worth its weight in gold, especially in an industry with fierce competition.
"At TDC, our travel professionals are one of our most important strengths, and we are increasingly highlighting them in our marketing initiatives. I'm particularly pleased to do so, as our Ipsos survey reveals an upward trend in intentions to use their services,” Pelletier said.
He adds that “the three main reasons why they do so are almost all equivalent in terms of importance: being able to book everything from a single place, making travel arrangements less stressful, and finally, talking to a real person and having the opportunity to really verbalize their needs. In short, the human factor.”
Where and how will Canadians travel in 2024?
When it comes to the destination of their next vacation, Canadians' top three preferences are the United States (37%), then their own province (35%), and finally, another province in Canada (33%).
The next most popular international destinations are Mexico and the Caribbean (29%), followed by Europe (27%).
“When it comes to choosing a means of transport, air travel is far ahead (68%), and the car comes second (50%),” Pelletier said. “When it comes to accommodation, hotels are still by far the favourite choice for Canadians, at 73%, and in second place comes house or apartment rentals, at 34%.”
