More Canadians may be thinking of a staycation this summer. But has domestic travel become unaffordable?


Whether he is camping under the stars, jumping from the dock in a cabin next to the lake, walking along the coast or exploring a new city, there is possibly nothing better than a summer vacation in Canada.

Assuming, of course, you can pay it.

From accommodation to flights, Canadians can be noticing higher prices on national trips this season. And that is partly due to greater demand, industry experts say that more Canadians are opting for summer trips at home instead of traveling to the United States.

“The Canadians travel more and more within Canada,” said Frédéric Dimanche, professor at the Ted Rogers Hospitality and Tourism Management at the Metropolitan University of Toronto.

And since the industry is still recovering from the losses incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, combined with inflation, the highest cost of operations and now, greater demand, this translates into higher prices for consumers, especially in urban centers, Dimanche told CBC News.

“The airlines do this all the time. Hoteliers do this all the time. If there is a greater demand, prices are likely to go up.”

Natasha Beitman Brener is a lawyer in Kingston, Ontario. Brener expected to make a five -day road trip with his mother this summer, but was surprised by the price of accommodation. (Natasha Beitman Brener)

For some possible travelers, the cost is prohibitive or is simply too high to justify.

Natasha Beitman Brener, a 33 -year -old lawyer in Kingston, Ontario, says she hoped to make a five -day road trip with her mother this summer after getting unexpected and rare time among the tests.

They observed locations such as Ottawa, Quebec City and Manitoulin Island, but each option would have cost between $ 3,000 and $ 5,000 for five days once you get expenses, Brener said. The Airbnb or Hotel would only have cost $ 2,000 anywhere, he added.

So, don’t go.

“It’s not even about being able to pay it, although that is also true. But it seems so crazy when we used to go to Europe for two months in the summer” for $ 15,000, Brener said.

“We are the people who buy Canadians, or not American, in groceries and we will not travel to the United States, but we cannot justify $ 300 per night for an Airbnb study.”

‘It is not typical for Canadians’

The tourism sector of Canada is seeing a great interest of national travelers this summer, partly as a sample of support for local communities, Amy Butcher, vice president of public affairs of the Association of the Tourism Industry of Canada, told CBC News in a statement.

“Tourism is one of the strongest economic engines in Canada,” said Butcher, noting that he delivered $ 130 billion in economic activity in 2024, 75 percent of which was from Canadian national trips.

Canadians are choosing to jump to the United States so far in summer. The number of Canadians who returned from trips to the US.

It is too early to have many data from national summer trips, but Statistics Canada said in June that tourist spending in Canada by Canadian residents increased 0.8 percent in the first quarter of 2025, driven by accommodation spending.

And Anusha Arif, economist of TD Economics, predicted “solid earnings” in Canadian national trips in a recent report, while indicating an increase in national trips in the main Canadian airports.

In March, Airbnb reported a 20 percent increase in national stay searches.

Flight Center Canada told CBC News that he had seen a little characteristic increase of five percent on his national trip this summer, which may not seem high until he considers that, usually, they say that 80 percent of the trips reserved by Canadians during the summer is even international locations.

“This is not typical for Canadians,” News Amra Hardakovic, head of Public Relations and Communications for the Travel Group of the Canada flight center, told CBC.

“We are thinking that five percent come from less new reserves to the United States than Canadians, instead of traveling to their favorite destinations in the United States, they are choosing to stay.”

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This summer increase is promoting the perception of a price impulse, Durakovic added. Even so, it is not necessarily that Canada is dramatically more expensive, but that demand is high and the flexible inventory is adjusted, especially if you are reserving something close to its departure date, Durakovic said.

He gave the example of a colleague who works with a family of three who hoped to book a Toronto trip to Halifax next month for five days. It would cost you about $ 6,000, he said.

“They are reconsidering their trip,” he said.

“The label shock impacts Canadians … but I want to clarify that time really matters.”

People walk on rocks in front of a lighthouse
Tourists review Peggy’s Cove, NS, on September 1, 2016. A few days in Halifax in the high season they can be quite expensive. (Andrew Vaughan/The Canadian Press)

Hotel prices go up

The average daily rate for a hotel room in Canada this June increased by three percent (or approximately ($ 7 per night) compared to June last year, according to industry data provided by Costa, a global provider of real estate data, analysis and news.

That is based on a sample of 63 percent of hotel rooms in Canada.

As an extremely non -scientific meter of the cost of reserving last minute accommodations, CBC looked for several options for a family of four around the same week in mid -August using a variety of online reserve sites, while taking into account that booking at the beginning of the year would probably have generated lower prices and more availability.

Even so, it is unlikely to get a rental of a week of rent of a week in southern Ontario for less than $ 2,000 (but the average is more like $ 3,000, according to Airbnb). Four nights at a Halifax hotel will cost you between $ 1,200 and $ 2,300 according to Travelocity, depending on how central it wants to be.

Muskoka's chairs sit on a dock looking over a lake
Muskoka’s chairs sit on a spring that looks at Lake Boshkung, in Algonquin Highlands, Ontario, on October 5, 2020. A one -week cabin rental in VRBO will probably cost several thousand dollars this summer. (Giordano Ciampini/The Canadian Press)

According to Expedia, a single weekend at the Vancouver hotel in the heart of the city center will cost a minimum of $ 1,200, and that is similar for a weekend in the rockies, according to Flight Center Canada. The few houses in front of the beach front are still available to rent in PEI will cost around $ 4,000 per week in VRBO.

And although the camp is a less expensive option (assuming that it owns the team), it is known that some camps near popular tourist destinations are almost immediately exhausted, and officials often recommend reserving four or five months in advance to obtain a place.

For example, there were zero tent sites available for any weekend stay in August in the Sandbanks Provincial Park in Picton, Ontario, and exactly a “poor” quality site that remained for a stay in mid -week starting Tuesday. There was not a single place available in Porteau Cove Provincial Park near Vancouver for any night in August.

People raise photos of an entrance near buildings
Tourists look at Burarard’s entrance while they are on a cruise near Vancouver on July 25, 2024. (Ben Nelms/CBC)

‘It’s just crazy’

Last month, the Canadian Minister of Culture and Identity, Steven Guilbeault, announced the new strong pass of the Federal Government of Canada that makes Canada’s historical sites and parks free to visit and the less expensive railway trips for young people.

The objective is to promote national tourism.

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But what Canada’s strong pass does not change is the price of national hotels and flights.

Brener, in Kingston, said she is disappointed not to make the trip with her mother, since they are rare that they have time to travel together. But even local options were surprisingly expensive, he said. Then, instead, they could make an excursion to the near Prince Edward County.

He also hopes to visit Halifax with her husband soon, but will wait until mid -October for the low season.

“That is the only way to maintain a five -day trip below $ 6,000 with flights. It’s crazy.”



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