(Canadian Press)

By Justin Goulet

Most Canadians planning to avoid travel this summer: CPA Canada survey

Jun 8, 2021 | 8:46 AM

TORONTO, ON – 79 per cent of Canadians say they are concerned about the safety of travelling amid the pandemic, and many are planning to avoid leaving their home communities.

That’s according to a new survey by Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada (CPA Canada). When asked about their summer vacation plans, responses from the CPA Canada 2021 Summer Spending Study reflected a sense of caution and uncertainty.

30 per cent of Canadians are not planning to take a vacation this summer, according to the survey. 35 per cent are still undecided or are delaying their vacation decisions, 15 per cent plan to take vacations within the area where they live and 22 per cent of Canadians plan to vacation outside of the area where they live.

Of the 22 per cent who plan to vacation outside of the immediate area where they live:

• 71 per cent plan to travel within their province or territory
• 36 per cent plan to journey to another province
• 14 per cent are planning a vacation to the United States
• 10 per cent are prepared to venture outside of Canada and the U.S.

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CPA Canada says 35 per cent anticipate spending more on transportation fuel this summer than they did in 2020, with 18 per cent planning to spend more on short-term vacation rentals. Only 22 per cent of respondents anticipate increased travel and vacation costs from last summer.

CPA Canada’s Financial Literacy Leader, Doretta Thompson said, “a high proportion of Canadians are either not planning to take vacations or are holding off on their decision.”

“30 per cent are not planning to take vacation at all this summer. We asked a similar question in 2019 and back then, only 18 per cent weren’t planning to take a vacation.”

CPA Canada also noted that over half of Canadians (51 per cent) anticipate their overall household spending to remain the same this summer as last year. However, 38 per cent believe their household spending will increase in 2021. Nearly half of respondents (44 per cent) reported that they expect their household spending to be the same as a typical pre-pandemic summer and only 29 per cent expect to spend less this year than they did in a typical pre-pandemic summer.

The survey found that 34 per cent of Canadians who responded anticipate that they will spend more on home renovations and property maintenance, while 22 per cent expect to spend more on entertainment than they did last summer. 43 per cent of respondents anticipate spending more on food this summer than they did in summer 2020.

CPA Canada stated that despite several shifts in how residents plan to spend their money this summer, expenditure levels appear to be relatively on par with previous years, albeit targeted less on vacations than in the past.

The CPA Canada 2021 Annual Summer Spending Survey was conducted by Nielsen via an online questionnaire from April 19 to 20, 2021. 2,001 randomly selected Canadian adults, aged 18 and over, took part. More details on the study can be found here.