Canadian travelers drawn to allure of Asia

TORONTO, Canada – Although American and European cities remained the most popular spots among Canadian travelers heading abroad in the first half of 2015, Asian cities showed the largest growth.

TORONTO, Canada – Although American and European cities remained the most popular spots among Canadian travelers heading abroad in the first half of 2015, Asian cities showed the largest growth. Hong Kong, Tokyo and Bangkok had an increase in hotel demand climbing two, five and 12 spots, respectively in the latest Hotel Price Index.

“Historically Asian countries have offered great value for accommodation, making them popular among travellers looking to explore a unique, new culture,” says Taylor L. Cole, APR, travel expert for Hotels.com. “With Canada’s strong Asian economic ties, naturally business travel remains strong too, especially with the Canadian government’s support of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) business travel card.”

Outside of Asia, the Italian city of Rome experienced the largest growth climbing four spots in 2015, followed by Amsterdam which was a new addition to the top 20 list.

Most Popular International Cities for Canadian Travelers

City Country 2015 vs. 2014 Rank

1. New York United States No change
2. Las Vegas United States No change
3. London United Kingdom No change
4. Paris France No change
5. Orlando United States No change
6. Rome Italy +4
7. San Francisco United States +1
8. Chicago United States -2
9. Los Angeles United States -2
10. Seattle United States -1
11. San Diego United States +1
12. Boston United States +1
13. Barcelona Spain No change
14. Hong Kong Hong Kong +2
15. Tokyo Japan +5
16. Miami United States -1
17. Newark United States -3
18. Amsterdam Netherlands +3 (New to list)
19. Bangkok Thailand +12 (New to list)
20. Anaheim United States -3

Within Canada, the top eight most visited cities by Canadians remained the same. Winnipeg, which celebrated the opening of its long-awaited Canadian Museum for Human Rights in fall of 2014, climbed two spots to ninth place. Prairie cities, Saskatoon and Regina also recorded growth of two and three spots respectively. Cities in British Columbia didn’t fare as well in 2015 with Victoria, Kelowna and Whistler dropping in popularity, perhaps due to mass wildfires that plagued much of the summer months.

Most Popular Domestic Cities for Canadian Travelers

City Province 2015 vs. 2014 Rank

1. Toronto ON No change
2. Montreal QC No change
3. Vancouver BC No change
4. Edmonton AB No change
5. Calgary AB No change
6. Ottawa ON No change
7. Niagara Falls ON No change
8. Quebec QC No change
9. Winnipeg MB +2
10. Victoria BC -1
11. Banff AB -1
12. Saskatoon SK +2
13. London ON -1
14. Halifax NS -1
15. Regina SK +3
16. Kelowna BC -1
17. Whistler BC -1
18. Canmore AB -1
19. Kamloops BC No change
20. Windsor ON +2 (New to list)

About the author

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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