Canadian Travellers Survey - Consumer Insights

TICO conducted a survey of approximately 1,500 Canadian travellers in the fall of 2020 to better understand how COVID-19 has impacted their behaviours and sentiments toward travel. We are using this data to help us shape and target our messaging to consumers on our social media channels, our website, and in our daily interactions. Our survey objectives were as follows:

  • Gain insight into critical travel attitudes and behaviours relating to COVID-19
  • Examine the travel re-engagement rebound rate and determine how to impact and/or influence it
  • Identify and explore the impact of COVID-19 on travel and tourism in terms of consumer decision-making, levels of confidence, and their perception of risk

Key Findings and Insights

  • COVID has impacted consumer decision-making around travel. The pandemic has changed the level of importance and the degree of urgency in how people are thinking about future travel plans.
  • Consumers perceptions of the importance of travel insurance have notably increased.
  • Relevant to travel, the perception of risk is increasingly associated with health and physical harm rather than opportunity.
  • While currently perceived as still holding risk, how consumers feel about travel is starting to stabilize.
  • Concern toward international travel is high, regardless of travel frequency. While lifting restrictions are important for consumers to re-engage with travel, there may be additional factors influencing their concerns about international travel among all types of travellers.
  • While concern with certain types of travel continue to be noted, the research suggests things are stabilizing in the travel sector compared to other services which continue to fluctuate (and grow) more substantially with respect to their associated risk.
  • Compared to non-travellers, those who travel are more likely to indicate the vaccine will impact their willingness to return to “normal”. With this, more frequent travellers (3+ times a year) were more apt to indicate so.
  • Those who travel most frequently (3+ times a year) are no more likely to embrace, adjust, or reject the current changes.
  • Re-engagement for the majority of consumers will likely occur together rather than be “staggered”. For many, once they reconnect in one area, it will increase their comfort and expand to other sectors.

Next page: Convictions, Revocations and Suspensions