TORONTO — A new poll says the ‘staycation’ trend may be on its way out – and thank goodness for that.
According to Enterprise’s ‘Weekend Getaway Survey’, nearly two-thirds of people who plan on taking a weekend getaway in 2017 will travel more than 240 kilometres from home. While weekend getaways are typically booked by the drive market, any indication that consumers are weary of their own backyards and ready to travel farther afield is a good sign.
“A weekend away is a time for them to escape – to reset and recharge before jumping back into another week,” said Steve Short, Vice President at Enterprise.
“Some of the results were surprising, but also very encouraging in the sense that so many people intend to take weekends away in 2017”, with nearly eight in 10 respondents indicating that they were planning to take at least one weekend trip. “We see that as further proof that taking time away to explore what we’re passionate about and be with the ones who matter most just makes our lives richer and better.”
More results from the survey:
- 24% are planning to visit a major city, 19% are planning to visit the beach and 14% are planning to visit the mountains.
- Repeat destinations seem to be preferred in 2017. Only three in 10 said they plan to go somewhere new on their weekend getaway.
- Nearly two-thirds (62%) of parents taking a weekend getaway plan to take the kids with them.
- When asked to choose a word that best describes their weekend getaway, ‘relaxing’ ranked first with 39% of respondents.
- The top weekend getaway activities this year include ‘enjoying new restaurants, bars or pubs’ (44%) and ‘de-stressing’ (38%).
- When asked to choose a word that best describes their weekend getaway, only 7% of respondents selected ‘romantic’.
- While the ‘Sandwich Generation’ may be on the rise, travellers aren’t including mom and dad in their weekend getaways. Only 6% plan to travel with their parents.
- 61% percent of weekend getaway takers plan to spend less than US$500, while 39% plan to spend between $500-$1,000+.
