Canadians Drawn to Allure of Asia

Global Hotels.com report reveals Canadian travel habits at home and away

• Bangkok, Thailand and Tokyo, Japan showed largest growth in hotel bookings for Canadian travellers
• American and European cities still top Canadian travellers' lists
• Winnipeg, Manitoba added to the top ten list of most popular domestic cities for Canadian travellers thanks to new sites like the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

TORONTO, Aug. 19, 2015 /CNW/ - Although American and European cities remained the most popular spots among Canadian travellers 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 Hotels.com™ Hotel Price Index™ (HPI™).

"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 Travellers

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 Travellers

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)

For more information on the HPI report, follow @hotelsdotcomca with #HotelExperts.

About the HPI™
The HPI is a biannual report that looks at hotel prices in cities all around the world. The data is based on bookings made through the Hotels.com website and the prices listed are the actual prices paid by Canadians - not advertised rates.

About Hotels.com
Hotels.com, L.P. operates Hotels.com (also known in Canada as Hotels.ca), a leading online accommodation booking website with properties ranging from international chains and all-inclusive resorts to local favorites and bed & breakfasts, together with all the information needed to book the perfect stay. Special apps for mobile phones and tablets can also be downloaded enabling customers to book on the go with access to 20,000 last minute deals.

© 2015 Hotels.com, LP. Hotels.com, Hotel Price Index, The Obvious Choice and the Hotels.com logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Hotels.com, LP in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. CST # 2083949-50

SOURCE Hotels.com

Image with caption: "America and Europe remain destinations of choice for Canadian travellers, but Asian cities are showing the most growth in popularity (CNW Group/Hotels.com)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20150819_C6766_PHOTO_EN_480537.jpg

Press contacts: Lauren Wasley, energiPR for Hotels.com, Phone: [phone] x 19, Email: [email protected], Twitter: @energiPR; Press contacts: Taylor L. Cole, APR, Hotels.com North America, Phone: [phone], Email: [email protected], Twitter: @TravelwithTLC