With Family Day a few weeks away, many Canadian parents like to celebrate the occasion by taking their children and loved ones on an extended holiday trip. And according to a leading discount travel site, some of the most frequently booked destinations all reside in North America.
Hotwire.com recently released the 10 most popular destinations for hotel stays in mid-February. And according to Clem Bason, president of the Hotwire Group, all of the locations are ideal for Family Day gatherings.
"Family Day is a time to reflect on the importance of family life, and what better way to celebrate that than by creating new memories with a family trip?" said Bason. "It's no surprise that some of the most booked destinations for Canadian travellers are located close to home in major Canadian cities, but it's also exciting to see that folks are taking advantage of the long weekend and heading to other popular destinations outside of the country."
Whenever families travel abroad, it's important they are protected. Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada recommends travellers purchase supplemental travel health insurance.
The most frequently selected travel destination, affectionately referred to as the City that Never Sleeps, was New York City. Though it's the most expensive of the top Family Day travel locations - averaging more than $120 per night to stay in a hotel - many Canadians apparently took advantage of the offer.
The next most popular locations all reside in Canada, namely Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. The average nightly hotel rate for these cities was $82, $94 and $81, respectively, Hotwire.com reports.
Rounding out the top 10 Family Day cities were metropolitan regions scattered throughout North America. For instance, many Canadian families wanted to experience Walt Disney World, and with a hotel rate of $41 per night, parents and their children could look to bond at the world-renowned amusement park.
Other than the U.S., other studies have shown that Europe, Asia and the Caribbean are also popular destinations.
Many Canadians won't have to travel too far for the next most booked travel destination in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The $71 average nightly hotel rate - which is lower than it normally is in the Twin Cities, according to the source - was too inexpensive for parents to pass up.
Fort Lauderdale, Ottawa, Las Vegas and Phoenix completed Hotwire.com's list of the most popular cities Canadians will be headed to for the Family Day holiday.
While the amount of travelling tends to increase during this time of year, Canadians have been on the go frequently as of late. According to Statistics Canada, travel by Canadians abroad rose almost 1 per cent last November when compared to the previous month, totaling approximately 5 million trips. For overseas destinations, 782,000 trips were scheduled during the month, up 1.6 per cent on a monthly basis, with travel to the U.S. up slightly at 0.6 per cent, or what amounted to 4.2 million trips.
Not only were Canadians traveling with more frequency, but they were staying more frequently. Statistics Canada reports that overnight travel to the U.S. edged up 2.1 per cent to 1.8 million in November, the first increase recorded since July. The most influential factor was a 3.5 per cent increase in travel by car, while overnight travel by plane fell 0.6 per cent.
