“Tourism is one of the most important industries in the world. After COVID-19, we’re back to 80% of pre-pandemic activity, says Eugene Thomlinson, professor of tourism at Royal Roads University in Victoria, British Columbia. It came back much faster than the experts had expected. They were expecting that comeback in 2024 and 2025.”
Like many of his colleagues watching the travel industry, Professor Thomlinson attributes this rapid recovery to what is known as “revenge” tourism, that is, the rush of many to want to travel now then that it was prohibited during the pandemic.
But there is more.
Before 2020, we already heard about “last chance tourism”. Some travelers have threatened destinations in their sights. Places you have to see before you die, but before they die themselves.
“Like the Great Barrier Reef,” Eugene Thomlinson cites as an example. Or polar glaciers or polar bears. »
Obviously, there is something very contradictory about traveling thousands of kilometers by plane to see a natural beauty threatened with disappearance by climate change.
The logic also applies to the budget.
Because we want to enjoy the moment. For many vacationers, once there, whether in Magog or Vilnius, it’s not the time to look at the expense.
It’s tempting to visit the One World Trade Center observatory in New York or treat yourself to a lobster roll in Gaspésie. At four sandwiches (with fries and, why not, an IPA for the parents), the bill mounts quickly!
“Sometimes it’s related to FOMO [for Fear of missing out], this fear of missing something, explains Eugene Thomlinson. Sometimes, it is also that we tell ourselves that it will always be cheaper to do it now than to come back another time. There are several justifications for spending more. We put that on the credit card and we’ll pay later. »
By dint of a little extra here and there, you can bring back a heavy debt in your suitcases.
How to explain then that the following year, we forgot that the credit card account finally arrived?
“We have a very selective memory,” says Eugene Thomlinson. We prefer to remember the incredible experiences we have had. We forget that we still pay our credit card account…”
While vacations and travel have become a common expense, this has not always been the case.
In the past, they were seen more as a luxury, to be offered if there was money left over at the end of the year, explains Eugene Thomlinson.
“I think that has changed with the advent of discount flights that make travel accessible. Everyone can now afford this superb destination. »
The proof: despite inflation, Quebecers plan to spend more this year on their vacations – whether they include a trip or not. On average, the budget per vacationer increases to $1,043 this year from $848 in 2022, according to CAA’s annual survey.
Andréane Laroche, owner of the Voyages Bélaro agency in Mirabel, confirms it: Quebecers have been traveling a lot since the resumption of tourist activities. Even though the prices have gone up a lot.
“Let’s take the example of plane tickets to Europe,” she said. Before the pandemic, we were getting by between $800 and $1,200. Today, $1200 is rare. We can calculate up to $2000 for the plane ticket. »
The boomerang effect is stronger, however, says Andréane Laroche: after two years at home, the call of travel is powerful.
This observer also notes a great thirst for luxury. Some of its clientele will opt for 5-star resorts and luxury cruise destinations. “People need the trips,” she says, admitting that no one brings up the subject of ecological footprint when making reservations.
True, but the pandemic has still changed the game for some travelers, nuance Eugene Thomlinson.
“You can measure it in Indigenous tourism which is growing,” he cites as an example.
“We also see a lot more regeneration tourism. It is no longer sustainable tourism, where the goal is to leave the destination as it was when you arrived. We go further with regeneration tourism. We want to leave her better. »
Journalist and host Sophie Fouron has traveled extensively. Especially for work, to make his TV series like Everyone his island and Ports d’attache.
She confirms: “The pandemic forced us to question ourselves on the way we wanted to travel”, she says, admitting that she recently rediscovered the happiness of taking her vacations in Quebec and the ride on Mount Royal.
“There’s something magical about traveling locally,” she says. We encourage local industries. The satisfaction of reducing our ecological footprint is also there, in his case.
And in this movement to travel better, there is the management of vacations which needs to be rethought, says Sophie Fouron, who now prefers to savor this professional break more slowly. And more fullness.
“I try not to do ‘survivals’ anymore. To no longer perform on vacation. »
Overvacations are the tendency to turn free time into a marathon of activities that usually begin the minute after work ends. A particularly strong pressure with children, says the facilitator, because we fear (wrongly) that they will be bored.
“We are so afraid of not enjoying our holidays,” says Sophie Fouron.
“We have to disrupt our vacation,” she continues. We have to let the holiday organize us. Let time go and see what you want. »
Travel is still popular: 53% of Canadians intended to travel outside the country this year and half had their eye on an all-inclusive vacation.
Inflation has nevertheless changed the plans of some Quebecers. Among those not taking a vacation this year, almost a third (29%) cite budgetary reasons.
A trip is not necessarily a vacation. And vice versa. But either way, this break from routine life can be very expensive. Or not. Here are ideas from author Béatrice Bernard-Poulin, who has made “living better and cheaper” her specialty.
A question to ask yourself before making your plans helps a lot to reframe the project and could lead to decisions that are much more in line with your budget: what is my objective?
In other words: what do you need?
If it’s rest, flying to the other side of the world with a very busy schedule may not be the best option. Nature may be a better plan – and vacations may cost less.
On the other hand, you can also want to be very active and that’s fine, says Béatrice Bernard-Poulin. In both cases, the idea is to know what type of vacation we are aligning ourselves with to avoid dispersing ourselves.
The main areas of expenditure for a trip are transport, accommodation and meals. Add to that activities and souvenir shopping. In the travel planning tools she offers, Béatrice Bernard-Poulin calculates all the expenses, including vaccines and visas, as well as a margin of maneuver for the unexpected.
She also advises to calculate the daily budget, which makes it possible to follow the expenses during the holidays.
You have to respect your priorities: some travelers prefer to spend more on very comfortable, even luxurious accommodation, where they will lie in bed, and go to dinner at the market. Others, like Béatrice Bernard-Poulin, prefer to treat themselves to a good restaurant and pay less for the night. The hostel ? Why not !
“Naturally, we first look at everything that costs money,” says Béatrice Bernard-Poulin. We will therefore plan the paid visits (museums, via ferrata, water excursion, etc.) to then complete with the walk in nature or the day of reading at the public beach or in the park. The counselor suggests doing the opposite.
It is a reflex that we have for longer trips, but that we forget for a getaway of a few days.
“The best days are when there are one or two activities that are simple pleasures. You don’t have to complicate your life,” says the author, whose book It’s expensive to be an adult will be republished on August 16, revised and adjusted to the current economic situation.
According to her, we have this reflex to consume on vacation, to pay for pleasures, when it is not essential.
The recommendation is well known: it is better to build your travel budget before leaving, by devoting a reserved envelope to it, up to what you can devote to it.
“Automatic savings makes life easier,” says Béatrice Bernard-Poulin, who nevertheless points out that the exercise is simpler for an employee who has regular cash inflows.
In any case, this requires a certain rigor and you must avoid emptying the account at the slightest unforeseen…
However, it also has advantages: with a travel account, there may be funds available during the holiday season, while some Boxing Day sales will offer discounted nights or plane tickets cheaper.
Good to know: Financial institutions offer savings tools especially for travel.
“I also encourage people to pre-pay for things before departure,” the blogger says. For example, the hotel that offers a discount for those who pay the full bill at the time of booking. “That way you don’t end up on the way back with a credit card account that you can’t pay.” »
