Survey of how and when Canadians book their vacations yields some surprising results

Toronto ON, January 8, 2019

Annual Allianz Global Assistance Canada “Winter Vacation Confidence Index” sheds light on current booking habits

Canadians are booking their vacations further out than many in the industry may assume, and many are doing a lot of the work on their own. Those are among the key findings of the third annual Canadian Winter Vacation Confidence Index by Allianz Global Assistance, a leading provider of travel insurance and assistance services, which surveyed Canadians this year about how and when they book their vacations.

The Index reveals that more than four in ten Canadians (44%) indicated that they booked their last vacation two to six months in advance. Women and those over the age of 35 are more likely to book well in advance. Conversely, some booked one week or less in advance, including 20 per cent of men compared to just 5 per cent of women, and 24 per cent of those booking last minute trips are under the age of 35.

“With so many options for booking travel and with the attractiveness of last minute deals, it’s reasonable to assume the time gap between booking and travel is narrowing,” says Dan Keon, Vice President, Market Management, Allianz Global Assistance Canada. “So it was surprising that 44 per cent of Canadians said they booked two to six months ahead and a significant number, 12 per cent, said they book more than six months in advance.”

When respondents were asked how they book vacations, 38 per cent said they book it themselves (through individual airlines, hotels, car rental agencies) while 25 per cent indicated they use an online travel portal or app. 20 per cent replied that they use a trusted travel agent to make vacation arrangements. Men are more likely than women to use a travel agent (23% versus 17% respectively).

The Winter Vacation Confidence Index also showed that 27 per cent of Canadians don’t purchase or have travel insurance for their vacations. Women were more likely than men (30% compared to 23%) to forego purchasing travel insurance when vacationing.

Of those who have travel insurance fewer than half indicated that they had coverage on a credit card (22%) or as part of their workplace benefits (20%). Some 17 per cent said they purchase it themselves when booking and 14 per cent indicated they bought a plan directly from a travel insurance provider.

“Although Canadians are generally very aware of the need for travel insurance and protections when leaving the country,” explains Keon, “we always encourage Canadian travellers to review their credit card or workplace coverage before leaving and understand their benefits, be they for emergency hospital and medical travel insurance or trip cancellation and interruption insurance. We recommend speaking with a trusted advisor, such as your travel agent, to confirm you have appropriate coverage in place for your travels.”

The findings of the Canadian Winter Vacation Confidence Index are the result of an Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of Allianz Global Assistance Canada. A total of 2,005 surveys were completed among Canadian adults between October 23 and October 29, 2018. A survey of this size is considered accurate within plus-or-minus 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

Allianz Global Assistance (Canada)

For over 30 years, Allianz Global Assistance has supported travelling Canadians when they need it most with value-added travel insurance and assistance services. More than 800 employees support long-term partnerships with some of the best known brands in the travel and financial services markets. Allianz Global Assistance also serves as an outsource provider for in-bound call centre services and claims administration for health insurers, property and casualty insurers and credit card companies. Allianz Global Assistance is a specialist brand of Allianz Partners for assistance and travel insurance, and is a registered business name of AZGA Service Canada Inc. and AZGA Insurance Agency Canada Ltd. For more information, visit the Allianz Global Assistance Canadawebsite

Allianz Partners 

Dedicated to bringing global protection and care, Allianz Partners is the B2B2C leader in assistance and insurance solutions in the following areas of expertise: assistance, international health & life, automotive and travel insurance. These solutions, which are a unique combination of insurance, service and technology, are available to business partners or via direct and digital channels under four commercial brands: Allianz Assistance, Allianz Care, Allianz Automotive and Allianz Travel. 

This global family of over 19,000 employees is present in 78 countries, speaks 70 languages and handles 54 million cases per year, protecting customers and employees on all continents. For more information, visit the Allianz Partners website

Press Contact: 

Communications@allianz-assistance.ca