TORONTO - With a cold winter ahead, many Canadians will be escaping down south in search of warmer weather. In fact, Travelocity.ca reveals traffic to their website surges after the holiday season. A new Travelocity.ca survey revealed the majority of Canadians said they enjoy an all-inclusive beach vacation with 65 per cent saying they are easy and relaxing with more than one third of Canadians (34 per cent) having taken an all-inclusive beach vacation in the past. Data also revealed top destinations Canadians will head to this winter include classic favourites, like Mexico, Dominican Republic, the Bahamas, Jamaica and Costa Rica.
Despite Canadians' love for all-inclusives, 56 per cent would prefer a different vacation experience than what all-inclusives typically offer; with more than one quarter (27 per cent) feeling they are missing out on the authentic local experiences.
Survey highlights include:
Nearly half of respondents (45 per cent) said all-inclusive resorts remind them of an "adult camp";
Thirty-three per cent of all Canadians do NOT leave the property while at an all-inclusive resort;
One quarter of Canadians (25 per cent) feel they should be exploring somewhere new or different when at an all-inclusive.
To inspire Canadians to go 'Beyond the Beach' and break the all-inclusive bubble, Travelocity.ca has compiled local secrets for top winter destinations. Cancun to Punta Cana, these local secrets will have every Canadian getting more out of their winter vacation.
Top local secrets include:
Cancun, Mexico – More adventurous types may want to venture into one of the hundreds of Cenotes along the Yucatan Peninsula. A natural sink hole exposing a ground water pool below, discovering one of these Cenotes makes for a magical dip away from the crowds.
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic - Take a cruise to Isla Saona, an uninhabited island home to the Parque Nacional del Este, a national park which features a bevy of beautiful sites including a maze of forests, mangroves, trails, caves and cliffs and some signs of early Taino activity for a diverse cultural experience.
Liberia, Costa Rica - Check out Playa Avellanas just outside Liberia and near Tamarindo. This secret spot is something the locals call "Little Hawaii" for its incredible surf conditions.
