American Express Canada reveals top travel destinations for 2015

Increased spending, enriched experiences and other trends revealed

TORONTO, Jan. 6, 2015 /CNW/ - American Express operates one of the world's largest travel networks and today reveals the top travel trends and destinations travellers are planning on heading to in 2015. Insights on the top travel trends to expect in the New Year were gathered from a survey of more than 200 American Express Travel Counsellors throughout the Canada, the United States and Mexico.

Among the experts surveyed, 86 per cent noted customers are spending the same or more on travel as they did in 2014, and many are looking for enriched experiences – splurging on upgrades, in-trip experiences and trips with longer durations. More and more customers are also planning to vacation with their family next year, with 23 per cent of the Travel Counsellors saying that their customers plan to travel with their immediate family in 2015.

"With the start of a new year now officially underway, it's no surprise Canadians are making vacation plans to travel to a variety of destinations and climates in 2015," says Gerald Parent, Director and General Manager, Canada Travel Servicing, American Express Canada. "What we're hearing from our Travel Counsellors and seeing in our bookings is that Canadians are looking to travel further and with family in 2015, as well as willing to spend more on memorable experiences they'll remember long after they return home."

Trending Destinations for 2015
Based on where American Express travel services customers are booking travel in the New Year, it is clear travellers want to go farther in 2015. From Mexico and the Caribbean to New Zealand, the following destinations are trending:

Based on the survey findings, American Express Travel Counsellors are also seeing an increased demand for Australia, as well as destinations in Asia and Europe, including Vietnam, Myanmar, Croatia, Iceland and Italy.

When asked how they spend the bulk of their time helping customers, 67 per cent of Travel Counsellors shared they spend most of their time helping travellers with crafting a customized itinerary. Travellers also seek help identifying the best flight and hotel options based on schedules and fares. Full itineraries include everything from airline tickets, to hotel reservations and on-the-ground activities.

Here are the top trends the Travel Counsellors revealed they're seeing among their customers for 2015:

Family Vacations Still Popular
More customers are planning to vacation with family next year instead of any other trip. About one-in-four (23%) Travel Counselors surveyed say their customers plan to travel with immediate family, while 19 per cent see multi-generational family vacations on the rise.

Spending Steady in 2015; Splurging on Accommodations Will Rise
Eighty-six percent of Travel Counsellors noted customers are spending the same or more for travel next year compared to 2014, and many are splurging on different aspects of the trip experience, including upgrading hotel and airfare accommodations (47% and 32%, respectively), in-trip experiences (39%), and even taking longer trips (38%). Other factors driving more spend from customers are due to increasing costs of travel, with 40% of Travel Counselors noting airfare and 39% noting hotel rates on the rise.   

Making Memories vs. Savings
Creating lasting memories comes first among customers. Thirty-seven percent of Travel Counsellors surveyed noted their customers are eager to take trips and spend money on memorable experiences, while 33 per cent of respondents' customers want to take trips, but consider cost and savings to be a big issue.

Tours Top Activity for Travellers
As American Express Travel Counsellors spend the bulk of their time crafting travel itineraries, they become familiar with the activities their customers need help planning the most. According to the survey, planning tours tops that list. Fifty-seven percent noted tours are the most popular activity their customers ask for support in planning, followed by dining and restaurant activities (19 per cent) and cultural activities/museums (16 per cent).

Hitting the High Seas
Cruising continues to be a popular mode of travel for customers, and more than half (51%) of the survey respondents expect to see an increase in cruise bookings next year. Those boarding cruises next year, however, may opt for a river cruise instead of an ocean cruise – 56 per cent of Travel Counsellors agree that river cruising will be a top trend in 2015, followed by 37 per cent who see more small ship cruising.

To learn more about American Express and its travel services, visit www.americanexpress.ca/travel.

About American Express Canada
American Express in Canada operates as Amex Bank of Canada and Amex Canada Inc. Both are wholly owned subsidiaries of the New York based American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc., the largest operating unit of the American Express Company. Amex Bank of Canada is the issuer of American Express charge and credit cards, with outstanding products like the American Express® Gold Rewards Card, and the American Express® AeroplanPlus® Gold Card. Amex Canada Inc. operates the Travellers Cheques division in Canada. American Express opened its first offices in Toronto and Hamilton in 1853 and now employs 3,700 Canadians coast-to-coast. For more information, visit AmericanExpress.ca or connect with us at Facebook.com/AmericanExpressCanada.

About the American Express Travel Survey
The American Express Travel survey was completed online by 213 Amex Travel Counselors throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The survey was conducted by Ebiquity between October 30 and November 28, 2014, and the results reported in this release have an overall margin of error of +/- 6.7 at the 95 percent level of confidence.

About Ebiquity Plc
Ebiquity are independent marketing performance specialists. Ebiquity enables brands across the world to make better informed decisions to improve their brand and business performance across integrated communications channels. Learn more at ebiquity.com.

SOURCE American Express

Related Links

http://www.americanexpress.com/canada