With the end of summer near and COVID-19 restrictions starting to loosen across the country, more Canadians are searching for ways to get out and explore — and many of them are interested in exploring the Okanagan.
Today (Aug. 14), Google Canada released new travel-related search trends from Canadians.
Based on the data from Google, Okanagan cities are top of mind for Canadians. Kelowna, Penticton, and Osoyoos are all among the top five rising hotel destinations searched in Canada over the past months.
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In Canada, searches for road trips and local travel are up, while globally, searches for “staycation,” “beach rentals” and “cabins for rent” have grown by over 100 per cent year over year, as many look for travel ideas closer to home.
Google also announced a new set of features designed to help people stay up-to-date on the latest travel-related information when considering travel during the pandemic. Users can now see the percentage of open hotels with availability and flights operating based on data from the previous week.
As Okanagan locals can attest to, Canada’s wine country has returned to being a vacation hot-spot in recent months.
Here are the top-five fastest rising hotel destinations searched in Canada during the past two months:
- Kelowna, BC
- Banff, AB
- Jasper, AB
- Osoyoos, BC
- Penticton, BC
- Tofino, BC
- Mont-Albert, QC
- Canmore, AB
- Whistler, BC
- Prince Edward County, ON
Also of note are the most commonly searched questions relating to road trips — and it seems people may be new to this.
Here are the most frequently searched questions including the the phrase “road trip” over the last two weeks:
- “What to bring on a road trip?”
- “How to plan a road trip?”
- “What to do on road trips?”
- “How long does a typical road trip across Canada last?”
- “How to road trip across Canada?”
At least these prospective travellers won’t have to worry about forgetting their passport.
READ MORE: B.C. reopening travel not sitting well with several First Nations
jesse.day@pentictonwesternnews.com
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