According to a recently published travel survey issued by CAA-Quebec, a not-for-profit organization that provides insurance throughout the province, people in Quebec are more keen on travelling this summer than they were last year.
While last year’s annual survey showed that many people would opt to stay home or close by during their summer vacation, this season, Quebecers have rekindled their thirst for adventure and said they look forward to much more ambitious plans.
“Quebecers were more relaxed last year, and they seem to want to make up for that in 2017,” explains Philippe Blain, CAA-Quebec’s vice-president of travel. “The statistics show the pendulum swinging back: vacationers are obviously itching to move.”
Similar to past years, the survey found that seven out of 10 respondents intend to take some time off to recharge their batteries, but of those who will opt out of any summer vacationing, the reason most often provided is job constraints — even if financial limitations were cited less often this year than last.
CAA-Quebec also found that more people will be setting up an out-of-office autoreply that specifies a two-week absence and that 46 per cent of Quebec residents choose August as their favourite month to vacation.
And of those who will be stepping away from work this summer, less people are opting for “staycations,” while more people want to get out and see the world.
“There’s a sense that Quebecers want to get away,” Mr. Blain notes.
“Even the international climate has had limited impact: Donald Trump’s election victory was a deterrent for 12 per cent of respondents, while only 5 per cent said they were worried about terror attacks in Europe.
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The key takeaway is that budget is by far the determining factor in people’s choice of destination — and the average amount that they are setting aside for their vacation is higher this year.”
The changes in U.S. policy in the last year have not altered the travellers’ plans to summer in the country of our southern neighbours.
Stats from last year remain stable: 11 per cent of Quebec residents want to travel to the US, but the overwhelming majority (at least 63 per cent) plan to stay close to the border in states like: Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire and New York.
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While 52 per cent of vacationers plan to travel within Quebec and 11 per cent said they would explore elsewhere in Canada, there are 22 per cent who intend to get to their destination by plane.
Of those overseas destinations, Europe is the most popular.
Many myths still linger, with people wrongly assuming that their Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) insurance provides full coverage when they are travelling in another province, or that their credit card provider’s insurance is enough, CAA-Quebec wrote in a press release about the survey.
While most respondents said that they would be travelling with insurance to cover their medical expenses, 12 per cent said they would vacation without coverage.
According to the survey, 20 per cent of travelers say advice from family or friends influenced their vacation plans, a statistic that went up five points from last year.
Travel websites are respondents’ main source of travel information, with three-quarters of travellers paying attention to online comments and reviews when making their summer vacation decisions.
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