Kayak has launched WTF: What the Future Report, a look at the trends set to define the next five years of travel for Canadians. The travel search engine created the report in partnership with The Future Laboratory along with insights from a new survey.
Some of the top predictions that Canadians can expect to dominate travel by 2030 include the role of AI in the industry. AI personalized travel agents are helping Canadians save time and money when researching and booking travel plans. The top travel headaches Canadians want AI to fix are comparing costs of flights (47%), rescheduling delayed flights (29%) and comparing costs of accommodations (41%). Canadians aged 25 to 34 are more likely than any age group (13%) to allow AI to book their dream vacation without checking the details. Canadians 55-plus are significantly less likely to do this (3%).
By 2030, city jumping adventures are expected to replace single-stop journeys, with 43% of Canadians saying their 2025 travel plans include visits to multiple cities. When asked why city jumping is an option during a single trip, the major factors are affordability (56%) and experiencing more during their travels (47%).
Canadians are also booking vacations via social media, with 52% of Canadians saying they have been influenced to book a trip after seeing images, video or reviews on a social platform. More than one-third of Canadians (37%) say they have spent $200 or more after being influenced by social media to make a purchase. Currently, 36% of travelers find trip inspiration on social platforms, a trend expected to grow by 2030. Kayak predicts social media will shift from inspiration to a full-fledged travel shopping channel, with apps serving as travel storefronts.
Other Canadian travel trends include sustainable tourism, even if it requires more effort and money. British Columbians (24%) and Ontarians (21%) prioritize this with its popularity ranging from 15% to 17% in the other provinces. Off-season travel to avoid crowds is another growing trend that is highly popular across Canada, from 35% in the Prairies provinces to 45% in Atlantic Canada.
Newer trends include booking a silent retreat to help Canadians unplug from their phones and booking a trip based on an influencer’s recommendation without personally doing the research.
Kayak’s global predictions for 2030 include Virtual Voyages where travel will feature holographic concierges and automatic airfare refunds. Travelers anticipate virtual hotel room previews (35%) and almost 10% of air passengers expect in-flight VR entertainment for an immersive experience.
Low Intensity Travel is the shift toward unexplored destinations due to concerns over overtourism and carbon footprint (14%) influencing these future travel decisions. The quest for unventured experiences will shift from adventurers to conscious travelers, becoming a mainstream travel priority.
From silent retreats to genealogical investigations, Spiritual Sidequests will be an option by 2030, with more travelers wanting to pair exploring a destination with exploring their inner-self to grow and heal.
Loyalty programs are expected to adapt to meet the demands of price-conscious consumers, with 29% of travelers wanting personalized loyalty rewards, such as receiving refunds when air ticket prices go down (32%) and since 72% anticipating higher travel prices in the future, travelers are prioritizing savings and will switch brands for better deals.
The research for the report involved PureSpectrum interviewing 9112 respondents aged 18-plus in the U.S., UK, Canada, Brazil, France, Germany, Denmark and Sweden who travel for leisure purposes internationally at least once a year. The survey was conducted online. A sample of 2000 people were polled in the U.S., and all other markets had a targeted minimum sample of 1000 completes. The research fieldwork was conducted from August 13 to 20, 2024. Kayak data analysis was based on hotel searches made on the platform and associated brands in the period between September 1, 2023 and September 15, 2024 for stays between January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2024.