Inflation, COVID-19 holding Canadians back from holiday travel, poll suggests

Of the 1,001 Canadians surveyed, 77 per cent said they’re comfortable travelling within Canada over the holidays, while 55 per cent said the same for international travel.

High inflation and COVID-19 are dampening some Canadians’ hopes for travelling as the holiday season approaches, a new poll indicates.

Right now, 77 per cent of 1,001 Canadians Ipsos surveyed exclusively for Global News in October said they’re comfortable travelling within Canada over the holidays, while 55 per cent said the same for international travel.

For those who aren’t comfortable travelling, 65 per cent of them said high prices for hotels and tickets, for example, are holding them back, and 61 per cent said they’re either afraid of catching COVID-19 or remain anxious about relaxed travel restrictions.

The Ipsos survey comes as officials are worrying over a potential recession during a winter where respiratory illnesses like COVID-19 and influenza are expected to circulate more widely.

As a result, some Canadians are reigning in their expectations for travel over the historically busy holiday season, said Sean Simpson, senior vice-president with Ipsos Public Affairs Canada.

“All of this on a balance of scales is causing many Canadians to say it just may not be worth it,” he told Global News.

“If they can save money, save their health, save their headache and avoid some of that international travel, some think that that may be the way to go.”

Ipsos’s poll, which was conducted between Oct. 18 and 20, comes at a time when Ottawa is warning of a global economic slowdown next year due to soaring inflation, which sat at 6.9 per cent in September. However, Canada is ready to weather whatever is thrown at it this winter despite being set for “significantly weaker growth,” according to the government’s fall economic statement released last Thursday.