Nearly three years of the pandemic will have had their effect on the travel habits of Quebecers: even with a partial or complete lifting of restrictions, they increasingly prefer to roam around at home.
This is revealed in the most recent Trends Report published by the Transat Chair in Tourism, from UQAM’s School of Management Sciences.
“Inflation and health measures have hurt many Quebecers, but we can see that interest in traveling to Quebec has benefited from it,” underlines Marc-André Vachon, holder of the chair. Quebec companies and destinations therefore have a duty to provide attractive alternatives for those who choose Quebec as a travel destination. »
And as proof: 33% of respondents to a survey conducted last November by the Chair made a business trip of at least one night in their own region.
“This is good news because historically, Quebec has a negative tourism balance, that is to say that there is more income coming out of the province that comes in,” continues the researcher. If the tourism industry manages to retain a few Quebecers who go to the United States each year, these are net gains. This is without taking into account the direct impact on climate change and sustainable tourism that we could seek. »
Combine business with pleasure
The Transat Tourism Chair also reveals new travel habits of Quebecers, starting with the desire to combine business with pleasure.
“In today’s life, we want to be efficient, to make the most of every moment,” underlines Mr. Vachon. The pandemic has made us think about the place of work in our lives and the importance of travel for our mental health. »
Thus, the phenomena of “bleisure” (portmanteau word for business and leisure) and “workation” (for work and vacation) are on the rise.
“We integrate more pleasure into the trip: we try to telecommute to enjoy it longer or we take the family to visit after work. It’s a flexibility that we have and that we use more and more to our advantage”, continues the researcher, mentioning that 17% of those surveyed plan to extend a leisure stay thanks to teleworking and 10% to extend a business trip for pleasure.
However, even if the empowerment of travelers should grow in importance over the next few years, the game is far from won, believes Mr. Vachon.
“People are aware of the environmental impact of their travels,” he says. We also know that traveling has a positive impact on mental health, so we are torn between our mental health and the health of the planet. »
In doing so, barely 26% of Quebec travelers surveyed say they are ready to change the way they travel to fight climate change. Currently, 22% of survey respondents had chosen an accommodation or activity for its sustainability and just 10% had paid to make their holiday carbon neutral.
“The tourism industry must therefore consider the issue and provide easily accessible alternatives that would allow Quebec tourists to travel while limiting their carbon footprint,” says Mr. Vachon.
Experiment and adapt
Another trend observed by the chair is that of experimentation, that is to say, in an attempt to respond to new problems caused by the pandemic, such as chaotic baggage management, delays in several flights, long delays in obtaining passports or difficulties in booking, companies in the tourism sector are trying new practices that are now part of the visitor experience.
“As tourists, we are ready for the organization to do some testing,” underlines Mr. Vachon. We assume the risk because it is with the objective of making things easier. »
Travelers are even ready to participate in this wave of change, in this “living laboratory”, as Mr. Vachon calls it. This is the trend of synergy, where the whole community is brought to participate in the development of the region as a tourist destination.
“As residents, we are also customers of our own region; we are in fact the first users, so it’s important that the tourist offer suits us, too,” says Mr. Vachon.
A fourth growing trend in tourism is the desire to connect with nature. “It is a legacy of the pandemic to fully understand the role of nature in our lives, underlines the researcher. We want to give meaning to our trip, make it meaningful and this contact with nature brings us back to our own person. »
The study conducted by the chair of tourism also reveals that 60% of Quebecers who traveled to the province in 2022 carried out an outdoor activity during their stay.
This dispatch was produced with financial assistance from the Meta Exchange and The Canadian Press for News.