With U.S. travel on the downturn, where are Canadians headed this year?

It’s no secret that Canadians aren’t so keen on travelling south of the border this summer.

For the fourth consecutive month, return trips by Canadians from the U.S. fell, according to recent data from Stats Can. But despite some state governors attempting to entice us with discounts and perks, it looks like Canadians are continuing to look elsewhere for their summer trips.

So, where are they headed? 

The Caribbean and Mexico are some of the highest searched destinations right now, according to KAYAK’s summer travel trend report. Mexico City, in particular, has a 48 per cent increase in searches with a 16 per cent drop in airfare for the summer.

The travel site is also seeing a jump in domestic searches. While higher demand typically means lower prices, travelling within Canada will generally cost about the same as last year (airfares are only down about 2 percent). 

“For Canadians looking to find a deal and lesser crowds, opt for smaller cities or hidden gems to find more affordable prices,” says Kayla DeLoache, KAYAK’s travel trends expert. Overall, searches for Canadian destinations have jumped by about seven percent. 

Think Kelowna instead of Vancouver, or Niagara Falls instead of Toronto.

Some major Canadian cities, including Toronto and Montreal, are even seeing a slight price increase. “Because many Canadians are opting to travel domestically this summer, it’s expected to see a lot of larger cities take the brunt of this,” says DeLoache.