People relax and cool off at Puerto de Sagunto beach in Spain. (Photo by Alberto Saiz, AP)
Moncton’s Centennial Park and Splashpad are popular summer spots, but New Brunswick has much more to offer. Monique Porier from Shippagan highlights the variety of family-friendly attractions, including parks, the Acadian Village, and the Shippagan Aquarium. She enjoys exploring different places in New Brunswick, seeing no need to travel elsewhere.
Many Maritimers share this sentiment. Wayne Charles Ford from Halifax, a retiree, considers every outing a vacation. Teacher Andrew Quigley plans to spend his summer close to home, focusing on planning his wedding, running, reading, playing the piano, and personal growth.
As summer approaches, Canadians are making plans. A HelloSafe survey reveals that over 40% of Canadians intend to go on vacation, a 15% increase from last year. The survey included responses from more than 1,000 Canadians across various demographics to understand their vacation plans, preferences, and the impact of economic factors.
According to the survey, 31% of Canadians will vacation within their province, 27.9% will visit another Canadian province, and 41.3% plan to travel abroad. Valerie Colpitts from SellOffVacations in Moncton notes high demand for flights, with planes fully booked and significant interest in destinations from Alaska to beach resorts. She observes an especially busy year with many people pre-booking winter vacations as well.
However, more than 35% of respondents have no vacation plans, and over 23% are undecided. Financial caution due to inflation, which remains around 2.7-2.8%, is a significant factor. Nishadh Mohammed from HelloSafe reports that 37.7% of people cite inflation as the reason for not vacationing.
Some, like Halifax resident Karen McNeil, aren’t planning a summer vacation due to recent major expenses, such as her daughter’s wedding. Andrew Shaver from Halifax is taking a budget-friendly trip to Ontario for a wedding, mindful of the cost of flying with a young child.
The survey also highlights that some Canadians prefer to stay home to spend time with family and friends or to travel during other times of the year when the weather is less favorable locally.
