Same Country, Different Destination: Comparing Canadian and International Travel Habits

TORONTO, March 11, 2015 /CNW/ - Less flash and more function, best describes Canadians' travel habits when exploring their own country. According to the latest Hotels.com™ Hotel Price Index™ (HPI™), although Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver reigned supreme for domestic travellers and international visitors, smaller cities like Kelowna and Kingston were also included in the Top 20 Most Popular Destinations for Canucks. International visitors were much more inclined to visit Canada's larger, more iconic attractions like the emerald waters of Lake Louise or Mont Tremblant in the Laurentian Mountains.

"The three most popular Canadian destinations for international and domestic visitors still ring true based on our research," says Taylor L. Cole, APR, travel expert for Hotels.com. "however, many of our well-known tourism destinations – particularly those showcasing natural attractions – are more frequently visited  by travellers from abroad looking to experience some of the country's more notable highlights like ski resorts and lakes."

Biggest Differences between Domestic and International Travellers
Among the Top 20 Most Popular Destinations in Canada for domestic and international travellers, each list had five unique cities amongst the other 15 familiar destinations. Smaller cities or those without popular tourism attractions like Saskatoon, Kelowna, Regina, Kamloops and Kingston, were popular among Canadians but did not make the list for international visitors. Whereas more expensive destinations known for their outdoor attractions like Lake Louise, Jasper, Niagara-on-the-Lake and Mont Tremblant did. Windsor was the exception, although as a border city, it's popular among U.S. travellers.

Biggest Similarities between Domestic and International Travellers
Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver remained consistent as the top three Canadian cities for both domestic and international travellers. Calgary also remained in fifth position for both travellers, and Edmonton, Niagara Falls, Ottawa, Quebec and Victoria were included in the top 10 – albeit with mixed rankings.

Top Domestic Cities for Canadian Travellers
City	Province	2014 vs. 2013 Popularity Rank
1. Toronto	Ontario	No change
2. Montreal	Quebec	No change
3. Vancouver	British Columbia	No change
4. Edmonton	Alberta	+1
5. Calgary	Alberta	+2
6. Niagara Falls	Ontario	-2
7. Ottawa	Ontario	-1
8. Quebec	Quebec	No change
9. Victoria	British Columbia	No change
10. Winnipeg	Manitoba	+1
11. Banff	Alberta	-1
12. Saskatoon	Saskatchewan	No change
13. London	Ontario	+2
14. Whistler	British Columbia	+1
15. Halifax	Nova Scotia	-1
16. Kelowna	British Columbia	No change
17. Regina	Saskatchewan	No change
18. Canmore	Alberta	No change
19. Kamloops	British Columbia	+1
20. Kingston	Ontario	-1

Top Canadian Cities for International Travellers
City	Province	2014 vs. 2013 Popularity Rank
1. Toronto	Ontario	No change
2. Vancouver	British Columbia	No change
3. Montreal	Quebec	No change
4. Niagara Falls	Ontario	No change
5. Calgary	Alberta	No change
6. Quebec	Quebec	No change
7. Ottawa	Ontario	No change
8. Victoria	British Columbia	No change
9. Whistler	British Columbia	+2
10. Edmonton	Alberta	No change
11. Banff	Alberta	-2
12. Winnipeg	Manitoba	No change
13. Halifax	Nova Scotia	No change
14. Windsor	Ontario	No change
15. Canmore	Alberta	+2
16. London	Ontario	-1
17. Lake Louise	Alberta	+1
18. Jasper	Alberta	-2
19. Niagara-on-the-Lake	Canada	+1
20. Mont Tremblant	Canada	+3

For more insights from the HPI, visit www.hotel-price-index.com and join the conversation on Twitter at @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 approximately 435,000 properties around the world, ranging from international chains and all-inclusive resorts to local favourites 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, The Obvious Choice, Hotel Price Index, HPI 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.

SOURCE Hotels.com

Image with caption: "Canadian and International travellers shared a mutual love for prairie city, Calgary, which was the fifth most popular Canadian city in 2014 (CNW Group/Hotels.com)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20150311_C1311_PHOTO_EN_13065.jpg

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