Canadians are making their travel decisions based on TV shows and movies
The top travel destinations for Canada in 2023 are increasingly being inspired by destinations seen on-screen, as Canadians are ready for revenge travel to make up for all the trips they couldn't take over the pandemic.
American Express has just released their annual 2023 Global Travel Trends Report, and the findings indicate that nearly half of Canadians are feeling influenced to visit specific destinations after seeing them featured in movies and on TV.
Coining the trend "set-jetting" (as opposed to jet-setting), the report states, "Travelers are flocking to places that captivate them onscreen, with travel inspiration found anywhere from smartphones to binge-worthy series."
The top two European destinations Canadians plan to travel to in 2023 are Italy (32 per cent) and France (31 per cent), and more specifically, to Paris and Sicily.
Paris alone set record-levels of production in 2022, with 102 features and 68 series filmed in the city throughout the year. This includes John Wick: Chapter 4, Woody Allen’s Coup De Chance, and the Netflix series people love to hate: Emily in Paris, starring Lily Collins.
Emmy-award winning hit HBO series The White Lotus featured Sicily's stunning landscapes and diverse scenery, which sparked immediate travel interest with its seaside vistas, beaches, rugged mountains, and volcanoes.
The younger generation polled in the report agreed that they are heavily influenced by social media and pop culture as a deciding factor in where they travel next. 61 per cent of Gen-Z and Millennials surveyed also say they chose a destination because it "looked great in photos and videos".
Travel demand in general is also increasing among Canadians. Over 53 per cent are planning to go on more trips compared to last year, and the majority (56 per cent) want their international trip to be ten or more days long.
When it comes to the activity that Canadians are most excited for when planning their 2023 trips, it's all about dining. Nearly 3 in 4 Canadians cite that trying local foods and cuisines is the part of travelling they most look forward to.
Paris also topped the list of destinations people from Toronto were travelling to over March Break. Emily in Paris fan or not, it seems Canadians absolutely Louvre the city of light.
Stephanie Branchu / Netflix, Emily in Paris
Latest Videos
Latest Videos
Join the conversation Load comments
