TORONTO—The Canadian travel outlook may be down, but it’s certainly not out.
Canadian travelers in both the leisure and business segments will continue to travel in 2009, but their behaviors and needs will change, according to the annual 2009 Travel Intentions Survey conducted by communications and marketing firm Fleishman-Hillard.
The results of the survey were presented by Gail Haarsma, the firm’s senior VP, during a general session at the Hotel Association of Canada’s 17th Annual Conference last week at the Hilton Toronto.
Results from the survey, which comprised a sample of 1,069 leisure travelers and 571 business travelers, were presented in six categories: 2008 Reality, 2009 Projections, Rates, Services, Environment and Technology.
2008 Reality
“Leisure travelers travelled as much as they did in 2007, but they’re doing things differently,” Haarsma said.
Among leisure travelers, 62 percent said they took the same or more trips during the summer of 2008 compared to the previous year, while 30 percent said they took fewer. Of those trips, 34 percent of respondents said they stayed with friends and family instead of hotels, 27 percent stayed fewer nights, 27 percent spent less money on entertainment, and 26 percent said they traveled a shorter distance.
During the fall season, 57 percent of business travelers said they traveled the same or more, while 24 percent said they made fewer trips. This represents 24 percent fewer trips than during fall 2007. While on those trips, 28 percent of respondents said they spent less on entertainment, 26 percent spent less on food and drink, and 24 percent traded down to less expensive hotels.
Another area of interest on the business side involved video conferences. Ten percent of travelers used video conference technology in lieu of a trip in the last three months, while 16 percent did the same in the last year.
2009 Projections
Business and leisure travel intentions are actually up in 2009. “But again, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re staying at a hotel or a resort,” Haarsma said. “They’re still going to travel, but they’re going to do it differently.”
2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 Travel Intentions
| 2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
2009 |
| 67% |
78% |
70% |
74% |
When asked whether they would travel more, the same or less in Canada in 2009, leisure travelers responded as follows:
• More: 28 percent
• Same: 54 percent
• Less: 12 percent
Business travelers responded with similar intentions:
• More: 23 percent
• Same: 50 percent
• Less: 17 percent
• Don’t know: 10 percent
When asked what the main purpose for travel was, business and leisure travelers again showed some similarities.
Main Purpose for Travel
| |
Leisure |
Business |
| A place to put your head down and sleep |
73% |
71% |
| A refuge from the world |
12% |
15% |
| A location for romantic rendez-vous |
7% |
2% |
| An office away from your business |
1% |
8% |
| A place to drop your shopping bags |
2% |
1% |
| Other |
5% |
4% |
More revealing was how respondents answered when asked what might entice them to travel more. Leisure travelers pointed to discount accommodations, weekend packages and luxury rooms at a standard rate as their biggest incentives. Business travelers pointed to discounted accommodations, luxury rooms at standard rates and free Internet in rooms.
Haarsma advised attendees to think about these incentives when marketing.
“What can get people into beds? Discount accommodations,” she said. “People are looking for a deal. … Offer them a package, but keep your rates where they need to be.”
Rates
Fleishman-Hillard’s mid-market-with-a-restaurant segment is the most popular among leisure travelers. Twenty-eight percent of respondents plan to stay within that segment on their next trip in 2009. Economy was the next most popular (24 percent), followed by mid market without restaurant (16 percent), upscale (14 percent) and luxury (4 percent).
