The increasing cost of gasoline is reshaping the way Canadians plan their vacations, a new Angus Reid Strategies poll has found.

In the online survey of a representative national sample, the majority of Canadians (56%) claim that the soaring cost of fuel has affected their vacation plans this year. One-in-four Canadians (26%) report that they cancelled plans to take a road trip, while 10 per cent decided not to go through with a planned airplane trip.

Other Canadians may not have abandoned their vacation altogether, but did modify their schedule due to high gas prices. Almost two-in-five respondents (38%) say they have scaled back on plans to travel by car this year, and 13 per cent say the same of vacations requiring air travel.

More than a quarter of Canadians (28%) took shorter trips than they had planned this year as a direct consequence of pricey fuel, and three-in-ten decided to enjoy their time off in the city or town where they live in order to avoid gas costs. Also, 14 per cent of respondents say they postponed their vacation and saved their days off for another time.

 The cost of fuel has become a major obstacle for trip-planning in Canada. The survey found that 82 per cent of respondents get annoyed by gas prices when booking a vacation. The price of tickets is second on the list with 71 per cent, followed by the cost of accommodations (57%). Other major complaints include airline service and unpredictable weather (both cited by 43% of respondents), and airport service (41%).

Still, a majority of Canadians continue to enjoy traveling by air. Fifty-two per cent of respondents say that, if cost were not an issue, they would prefer to take a flight when they go on holiday. Car is the second most popular option (28%), followed by train (11%).

Many respondents predict that in the coming years air travel will not be as popular as it is now. Fifty-two per cent of Canadians say that travel by air will become so expensive in the next ten years that it will be solely used for emergencies—the same proportion believe that people will rely primarily on buses and trains to travel to distant places. More than three-in-four Canadians (78%) think it is likely that a decade from now stay-at-home vacations will become the norm, while international vacations will decrease.

Overall, residents of Alberta (64%) and Atlantic Canada (63%) are most inclined to say that the cost of gas has affected their vacation plans this year. Atlantic Canada also holds the highest proportion of respondents who have recently cancelled plans to travel by air (22%) and by car (38%), and by far the highest number of people that took a shorter trip than planned to avoid high gas prices (45% compared to less than 29% in other regions).

Quebecers were more likely to vacation in the city of town where they live as a result of high gas prices this year (40%), followed by Atlantic Canadians (37%) and Ontarians (28%).

Article Via Muchmor Canada Magazine - “Discover Your Canada”
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