Canadian travelers are putting safety top of mind, with nearly 9 in 10 respondents to a recent survey saying they consider whether they’ll be safe and secure at their destination, when traveling.

Deloitte’s 2024 Travel Summer Outlook, which surveyed 1,064 Canadians this spring about their summer travel plans between now and September 30, found that 80% of Gen Z respondents, compared with 64% of millennials, think about whether they or their travel companions might feel unwelcome because of language, race, sexual orientation or religion.

The numbers also reveal that 60% of Gen Z respondents and 62% of millennials think about whether destinations and experiences will be accessible to them or their travel companions, and look for wheelchair access or other supports. Deloitte says it behooves brands, whether they are restaurants, retailers or accommodation providers to ensure managers and frontline staff are trained on the most current diversity, equity and inclusion practices.

The 2024 Outlook also reveals that Canadians would much rather support local, independent and family-owned businesses, with 79% preferring these to chains, multinationals, big box retailers and large corporations (21%).

Overall, 57% of Canadians say it’s important that their travel destinations and experiences demonstrate environmental sustainability in some form, whether it’s a low carbon footprint, renewable energy sources or EV charging stations. But tourism brands need to be prepared to back up any sustainability claims, as just under half of Canadians are skeptical of green claim authenticity.

A sizable number of Canadians crave Indigenous travel experiences, particularly Gen Z respondents and millennials, driving opportunities for Indigenous tourism businesses and communities. However, while 57% of respondents say they’re likely to take part in Indigenous travel experiences in the future, for international travelers that number is 31%, down from 37% in 2018.

The survey also showed that 81% of Canadians are vacationing within the country, with 77% of respondents also expecting to spend the same amount or more on summer travel than they did in 2023, thanks primarily to an inflationary environment. Only 18% of Canadians say they won’t be travelling at all this summer, largely citing cost.

About half of respondents cited rising costs, while others named bucket list-style trips (24%) for the hike in spend. A further quarter of respondents cited making up for missed travel, or having foregone trips altogether the year prior (35%).

Around a quarter of respondents will be spending less, most often because of concerns about finances (62%), but also because they’re taking more frequent but shorter trips (22%) or are cutting back on their big-trip budget (38%).

Almost six in 10 Canadians say they’d prefer to hit a non-urban destination this year, while the big city is the main destination for 40%, and a scant few (1%) plan to visit theme or amusement parks.

Overall, Canadians plan to spend an average of $2,405 on transportation and lodging costs for their major summer trip, while demographically Gen X respondents plan to splurge the most on travel ($2,671) and Gen Z the least ($2,100).