While the world sits poised for when the time is right to travel again, Booking.com shared insights gathered from over 100,000 different destinations that have inspired travellers from all over the globe since the start of March.

With many experts across the industry speculating about traveller preferences once travel restrictions are lifted, the company revealed that the most desired types of properties among Canadians since the start of March are: hotels, apartments, guest houses, resorts and hostels. Hotels account for 46% of all properties wish listed by Canadians over the last two months, slightly noticeably higher than the global average of 40%.

It’s no surprise to see domestic travel is top of mind for consumers, with over half (51%) of all properties wish listed being within a traveller’s own domestic borders. This figure is a jump from the same time last year, when domestic properties accounted for just a third (33%) of those added to wish lists.

Digging deeper, Toronto, Montreal, and Quebec City were found to be among the most popular domestic destinations being wish listed by Canadians signalling that travellers are ready for sunny city getaways and historic architecture when they are able to hit the road again. Notably, destinations close to water and wine country such as Niagara Falls and Vancouver were also at the top of the list. 

From the variety of Toronto to the beaches and mountains of Vancouver, Canadian travellers’ wanderlust has them clicking the “heart” hitting “save” on properties offering them an escape.

The top places to stay in Canada on wish lists include:

• One King West Hotel and Residence – Toronto (Hotel & Residence)
• Hôtel Sainte-Anne – Quebec City (Hotel)
• Hotel Belmont – Vancouver (Hotel)

For their first steps beyond their own borders, Canadians’ hearts are set on world class city getaways at centre stage alongside tropical adventures. 

New York (U.S.) tops the list, followed by Lisbon (Portugal), Paris (France), London (UK), and Tokyo (Japan), while Ubud (Indonesia), Playa del Carmen (Mexico), Rome (Italy) and Orlando (U.S.) also appear strongly top of mind.

“Throughout the rapidly evolving global uncertainty of this time, we have been intensely focused on the safety and security of our customers, partners and colleagues as well as evolving the support we provide to them at every step,” said Adriana Mantilla, Regional Manager Canada at Booking.com. “One piece of this is working to ensure that travellers are inspired to dream about all kinds of travel and bring assurance to our partners that we will continue to deliver demand to them as the world begins to travel again. It is encouraging to see so many properties added to wish lists over the past few months, and we look forward to helping travellers experience them when it is safe to do so.”