Canadian Travellers Crave a Winter Getaway, But Costs and Global Tensions Are Keeping Many at Home: Allianz Survey

CAMBRIDGE, ON, Nov. 10, 2026 /CNW/ -- A new survey from Allianz Global Assistance Canada finds that Canadians are craving a winter getaway, but financial pressures are threatening to spoil the trip. In the winter edition of its Global Travel Confidence Index, the Allianz survey found that 72% of Canadian travellers say they desperately need a vacation, while just 41% of Canadians overall are planning a winter vacation. Concerns over money were the top barrier to taking a trip, as two-thirds (66%) of Canadians not planning to travel said they don't have the money to travel or don't want to spend the money, while 30% said they find traveling has become too expensive.

Canadian travellers plan to spend an average of $2,592 CAD per person on a winter vacation. The survey found wide differences in spending plans between the generations, with Gen Z travellers planning to spend the least at $1,790 CAD, while Boomers plan to spend the most at $4,306 CAD. Nearly two-thirds (63%) of Canadian travellers said they are reducing non-essential spending to afford their trip, while half (50%) of Canadian travellers are scaling back their vacation plans rather than cancelling them.

In addition to cost, Canadian travellers identified travel delays (62%), safety and security (61%), geopolitical concerns (61%), illness (55%), extreme weather (55%) and medical emergencies (51%) as their top concerns when planning a trip. Travel insurance emerged as a way to manage these risks, as a strong majority of Canadian travellers (73%) said they have already purchased or are likely to purchase travel insurance to help protect their trip.

When asked about their travel planning, 41% of Canadian travellers surveyed said they have used or plan to use artificial intelligence (AI) to help plan their vacation. A third (33%) of travellers said they plan to invest more in luxury travel experiences in the coming year, demonstrating the continued appeal of luxury travel. Nearly three in ten (29%) Canadian travellers said they prefer to take their pet(s) when they travel.

"Canadians are telling us that travel matters to them, even when it requires making some difficult financial choices," said Kyle Sparkman, Managing Director of Allianz Partners Canada. "When you've scaled back your plans or cut spending elsewhere to make a vacation possible, protecting that investment becomes even more important. Travel insurance is a smart way to protect those hard-earned plans from the unexpected and give Canadians greater confidence to enjoy the time away they've worked hard to prioritize."

Methodology: These are the results of the Winter 2026 Allianz Partners Global Travel Confidence Index conducted online by polling firm IPSOS. 1,001 Canadians 18+ were asked about their plans for a winter vacation in a survey conducted from September 25 to October 9, 2026. Quotas and weighting were used to ensure the sample's composition reflects that of the Canadian population according to census parameters. This survey has a credibility interval of ±3.8 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. Agreement figures combine "strongly agree" and "somewhat agree" responses.

About Allianz Global Assistance Canada

For over 35 years, Allianz Global Assistance has supported travelling Canadians and visitors when they need it most with value-added travel insurance and assistance services. We bring our passion for assisting people to life every day through our partnerships with well-known brands in the broker, travel and financial services markets. Allianz Global Assistance is a specialist brand of Allianz Partners. For more information, visit the Allianz Global Assistance Canada website.

This publication is for general information only. Travel insurance benefits, coverage limits, conditions and exclusions vary by product. Terms, conditions, limitations and exclusions apply. Please review the policy wording before purchase.

SOURCE Allianz Global Assistance

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