Air Transat taps into summer travel trends of Canadians

If you’re wondering where Canadians are travelling this summer, Air Transat has some answers.

When it comes to travelling with children, the airline’s newly released travel trends report found that for Canadian parents of toddlers, it means parking at a resort town in the Caribbean, while families with teens prefer experiencing the historic sight-seeing options of Europe.

According to travel data from Air Transat, Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, and Rome in Italy are the most popular booking choices for family vacations during the peak summer season (June to August) in 2024.

For those with kids under 5, Punta Cana is the summer destination experiencing the biggest increase in bookings. But for adults travelling with older grade-schoolers or teenagers, their destination of choice is increasingly Rome.

Xavier Szwengler, Vice President, Marketing & Loyalty at Transat, said: “It is clear that in the early years of parenthood, adults want to travel where they know they can relax, recoup their energy, and set up shop next to a pool or on a beach.”

Szwengler continued: “But once the kids grow out of strollers, more parents are prioritizing educational destinations that can broaden horizons, particularly Rome, where family vacation itineraries are never short on activities and discoveries. No matter where their adventures take them, families can trust Air Transat to provide exceptional care and service, ensuring they travel with peace of mind.”

Air Transat, families offers a range of family privileges to ensure a comfortable and enjoyable journey. These include free seat selection for families so they can sit together, as well as priority check-in and boarding.

Additionally, Air Transat provides a Kids Club with various benefits for children aged 2 to 11, such as on-board surprises and priority baggage handling.

Air Transat also reported that Rome, Paris, London and Lisbon are the most popular destinations among all adult age groups this summer, though travellers 55+ heading to Portugal tend to choose Porto over Lisbon.

Porto, the coastal city in the northwest of Portugal, is also surprisingly the most popular destination for travellers with a pet, as many of the activities in the region are pet friendly.

The travel trends report also offered insights into how the generations are travelling. Millennials are the most likely to do short weekend vacations, with Cancun and Punta Cana topping the list, while Gen X and Boomers prefer vacations longer than two weeks in European destinations such as Paris, Rome, Athens, Porto and Lisbon.

Millennials are also the ones who travel with the most baggage, while Boomers and Gen X prefer to book their seats in advance for peace of mind. These travellers can benefit from Option Plus for more privileges and services in economy class, such as one checked bag included, seat selection and priority services at the airport.

For solo travellers, Paris, London, Rome and Lisbon are topping the list this summer.

In fact, Paris has seen a 48% increase in bookings this year, while London has seen a 39% increase.

For those travelling as a pair, they are favouring similar destinations, although Rome has seen a 56% increase in bookings and Paris a 50% increase.

Air Transat has a robust flight program from Montreal, Toronto and Quebec City this summer, offering more than 280 weekly non-stop flights to more than 40 destinations, including newly added flights to Lima (Peru) and Marrakech (Morocco) offered year-round.

Go to www.airtransat.com for more.