CheapOair.ca Tracks Ontario Traveller Trends

CheapOair.ca has released the results of a survey geared at Ontario travellers in an effort to better understand the perception towards the recently unveiled Ontario ‘Staycation’ Tax Credit, while also gauging 2022 travel perception and concerns as restrictions are slowly lifted.

The CheapOair.ca Travel Perceptions study found that over 66% of respondents were not aware of the Ontario Staycation tax credit.

Unsurprisingly, interest in travelling is increasing, and more than 55% of respondents stated they were highly likely (30.4%) and likely to travel (25%) to claim the tax credit.

The Ontario government recently unveiled the Ontario ‘Staycation’ Tax Credit, which allows Ontario residents to claim up to 20% of eligible leisure accommodation expenses for stays that occur between Jan. 1, 2022, and Dec. 31, 2022, when filing their personal 2022 Income Tax.

Individuals can claim up to $1,000 and families can claim up to $2,000 of eligible expenses to get back returns of up to $200 and $400 respectively.

The survey also revealed that the biggest concerns related to travel for Ontarians continue to be ‘exposure to COVID-19’ and the variants (34.8%) followed by ‘flights being cancelled’ and ‘being unable to return from the destination’ (tied at 17.3%) as the next concerns.

Additional results included:

• Adventure Above All Else — As it relates to type of travel, half of all Ontario respondents (50%) expressed interest in going on an outdoor/adventure trip while over a third (34%) are interested in exploring Family Theme Parks, indicating that Ontarians are looking to get out and explore the great outdoors more as opposed to staying home and not travelling.
• Canadians Are Road Warriors — A majority of Ontario respondents (61%) prioritize travel via personal/owned vehicles ahead of air (35%), rental vehicles (12%), or rail (8%).
• Consumer Confidence — Roughly one-quarter of consumers (24.2%) say their travel confidence has been unchanged over the past three months, with 22% of respondents claiming that their confidence in travelling has decreased and 20% saying their confidence has increased.

Daniel Hayter, senior product manager for CheapOair.ca, said that: “What this survey showed us was that Ontarians were not aware of the available travel savings, in light of the fact that they are eager to plan travel. With the rising cost of living and services, our goal is to help Canadians save as much as they can on travel.”

Hayter continued: “As a leading online travel agency and resource, we will continue to help share ways for Canadians to save on their future travel, accommodation and transportation bookings.”

CheapOair.ca conducted this study for a 12-day period from Jan. 15 to Jan. 26, with results determined automatically through a third-party tracking system. The survey was representative of Ontario consumers that visited the CheapOair.ca website, regardless of whether a booking was made or not.