Tag Archives: Bucket List

This is Where Canadians Want to Travel to This Summer

April 22, 2024 The Silo Leave a comment

The trending destinations Canadians want to go on vacation this summer based on Google searches.

Where do Canadians want to go on their summer vacation in 2024?

With soaring inflation prices and the cost of essential shopping skyrocketing, millions of Canadians will plan to cut back on vacation spending. According to data from Ipsos*42% of Canadians say they plan to minimize their spending on vacations in 2024 as a way of dealing with the increased cost of living. Now, as the season changes into spring, more people are wondering what this summer has in store for them from a vacation perspective.

Are Canadians really looking to cut costs when it comes to their annual trip? Or has the economy got us looking outside of our usual go-to destinations?

Our friends at Top10casinos.ca, have used Google search data looking at terms around ‘summer vacations’ to find out which destinations around the world are most in-demand by Canadians looking to book their summer vacation in 2024. So, whether you need some inspiration for your next big trip, or just love a good list, here are the trending destinations Canadians want to go on vacation this summer based on Google searches.

Revealed: Canada’s Top 10 Most in Demand Summer Vacation Hotspots in 2024

Research Reveals New York Will Be Canada’s Favorite Summer Vacation in 2024 – Getting 1.9 Million Searches Every Month

With 1.9 million monthly searches and a 6% increase in searches in the last 30 days, the metropolis of New York is officially Canada’s most desired destination for a summer vacation this year. Analyzing individual attractions that Canadians are most interested in visiting, searches for ‘new york broadway shows 2024’ are up 9,900% and people searching for ‘new york yankees schedule 2024’ are up 5,800%. For Canadians looking for an early Spring vacation, searches for ‘new york weather in April’ are up 750% in the last 30 days.

City Break Destinations Incredibly Popular for Canadian Summer Vacations in 2024

Half of the top 10 most-searched for summer vacation spots by Canadians are city break destinations with San Francisco, Las Vegas and Honolulu topping the list. The data shows that Vancouver residents are getting heart eyes for San Francisco. In the last month, there were 16,550 searches for summer vacations in the Golden Gate City and searches for ‘Vancouver San Francisco cruises’ are up 29% since the same time last year.

The Cold European Country of Iceland Has the MOST Search Increases – Ranking Above Beach Favorite, Mexico Beaches, relaxing by the pool and all you can drink cocktails are usually synonymous with summer, but according to our study, Canadians want to escape the heat in favor of colder climes. With an average of over 689,980 monthly searches and a huge 122% increase in 30 days, Iceland surprisingly ranks in front of Mexico as a go-to vacation destination this summer. Looking at why Canadians might be interested in visiting the land of ice and fire, searches for ‘northern lights’ are up 10,900% and people looking at ‘portugal v iceland’ have increased 1,043% on Google. According to the regional data, Niagara Falls residents in particular are looking for a totally unique experience this summer, with searches for ‘Iceland summer vacation’ up 200% since the same time last year.
Cuba Revealed as Canada’s Most Desired Beach Destination This Summer – Ranking Above Mexico and Costa RicaWith more than 712,000 monthly searches and an increase of 36% in 30 days, Cuba is revealed as Canada’s most desired beach vacation destination for summer 2024. According to the data, Canadians are researching long distance swimming in the country, with searches for ‘swim from cuba to florida’ up 3,500% and ‘vacations to cuba’ up 333%.
The Dominican Republic Ranks in Top 10 With over 97,000 monthly searches for ‘The Dominican Republic summer vacation’ and a 35% increase in the past month – it’s evident the Caribbean Island will be one of the most coveted destinations by Canadians this summer, which is why it features in the top 10. When analyzing search trends on a city level, Montréal has seen a 25% increase in residents’ searching for the beautiful beach spot, and Ottawa shows a 20% surge.

Mapped: Most Desired Vacation Destinations Across Canada, Revealed

Las Vegas Named the Most Desired Destination The gambling capital of the world is the most searched for city across the 10 cities of Alberta with searches spiking by nearly half (48%) since the same time last year. With 1.7 million monthly searches and a 12% increase in Canadian’s searching for the desert oasis summer vacation, Las Vegas has seen a 6% increase in search increases than topspot New York, the city also ranks above favorites Cuba and Mexico.
Greece Ranks Second as Research Reveals European Summer Vacations Most Popular with Ontario ResidentsThe data shows there’s a rapid number of Canadians looking to experience a European summer vacation this year, with both Greece and Italy coming up top in Ontario. Looking at the most searched for destinations, searches for Greece’s picturesque Santorini have increased by 67% since the same period last year across Canada, and Italy’s Rome have spiked 25%.
Costa Rica is the Most Desired Destination by Two ProvincesFilled with rugged rainforests, pristine lagoons and beautiful beaches, it’s little wonder the Central American country of Costa Rica is the most desired by two parts of Canada. Provinces of Quebec and Manitoba both had Costa Rica as their favorite destination, with searches for the tropical country up by an average of 81% across 10 cities in Quebec since the same time last year. Looking at locations on a city level, searches for ‘all inclusive Costa Rica vacations’ are up 300% in Quebec City, highlighting a need to escape busy metropolitan life.
Toronto’s 3 Favorite Summer Vacation Spots are all City DestinationsResidents hailing from Ontario’s capital, Toronto, are interested in keeping the summer city spirit alive, with 3 favorite destinations also being city spots. According to the data, Toronto’s favorite destination is Dubai with a 49% increase in searches since the same time last year. Closely followed by Rome (22%), and Miami (20%).

Methodology

Using articles around the topic of “bucket list travel destinations”, “best vacations in 2024” we were able to collect a list of approx 100 dream global travel destinations. To allow for us to make sure we’re focusing on those who want to holiday in these locations we assigned the prefixes “summer vacations in” to all locations. These terms were then entered into keywordtool.io to collect the average monthly search volume and search trends (over the last 12 months) per state.
Search volumes and trends were gathered using https://keywordtool.io/
All data correct and accurate as of 11th April 2024

Sources

https://www.ipsos.com/en-ca/canadians-cut-back-2023-and-plan-continue-cuts-2024

For the Silo, Amanda Evans

Travel

Canada Garden Ranks Seven for Most Beautiful Spring Flowers

February 22, 2024 The Silo Leave a comment

The Butchart Gardens, Canada, is the seventh most beautiful spring flower spot in the world, according to a new study.

#7 worldwide- Butchart Gardens, Victoria, British Columbia.

With springtime on the horizon, there are beautiful gardens all around the world filled with flowers getting ready to bloom. But which of these spots deserve a place on your travel bucket list?

Looking at flower locations across the globe, our friends and experts at Japan Rail Pass analyzed a variety of factors – including Google reviews and ratings, Instagram hashtags, and the vibrancy of the flowers in spring – to give an overall score and determine which flower spots you absolutely should not miss this spring.

The most beautiful spring flower spots around the world

Rank	Flower spot	Location	Rating	Reviews	Instagram hashtags	Vibrancy/10	Score/10
1	Keukenhof Tulip Gardens	Lisse, NL	4.7	52,812	692,146	9.96	9.7
2	Shinjuku Gyoen	Tokyo, Japan	4.6	36,115	856,056	7.29	9.3
3	Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew	London, UK	4.7	44,465	764,996	6.49	9.2
4	Nabana no Sato	Mie, Japan	4.4	5,327	507,008	9.34	9.0
5	Dubai Miracle Garden	Dubai, UAE	4.6	75,704	139,165	8.78	8.9
6	Island Mainau	Konstanz, Germany	4.7	28,977	170,895	7.90	8.7
7	The Butchart Gardens	B.C., Canada	4.7	21,596	102,258	7.54	8.3
8	Valley of Flowers National Park	Chamoli, India	4.7	3,432	115,940	8.43	8.3
9	Yangmingshan National Park	Taipei, Taiwan	4.5	24,267	129,546	6.63	8.3
10	Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden	Cape Town, South Africa	4.8	29,003	51,526	7.78	8.2

Please find the full dataset here.

Keukenhof Tulip Gardens, Lisse, Netherlands – 9.7/10

Credit – Sutterstock_Marina Datsenko

According to the research, the most beautiful flower spot in the world is the Keukenhof Tulip Gardens of Lisse, Netherlands, which has exhibited spring flowers to the public since 1950.

The tulips in spring achieve an almost perfect vibrancy score of 9.96/10, proving just how bright and colourful these stunning gardens are.

Shinjuku Gyoen, Tokyo, Japan – 9.3/10

Credit – Sutterstock_Benny Marty

Next in the rankings, is the beautiful Shinjuku Gyoen in Tokyo, Japan. From the wide variety of cherry blossoms in the national garden, it is the Somei (Yoshino cherry) that bloom in spring.

The beautiful Japanese garden has over 856,000 Instagram hashtags, more than any other spot in the top 10, with people all over the world travelling to view the cherry blossoms.

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London, UK – 9.2/10

Credit – Sutterstock_Charles Bowman

The third most beautiful spring flower spot according to the study is in London, England: The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

With almost as many Instagram hashtags as Shinjuku Gyoen (764,996) and 44,465 reviews, it is clear that the flowers found here, cherry blossom, bluebells, and magnolias to name a few, are beloved by many.

Nabana no Sato, Mie, Japan – 9.0/10

Credit – Sutterstock_martinho Smart

In fourth place is the Nabana no Sato flower park, located in the Nagashima resort in Mie, Japan.

The spot is known for its illuminations throughout the park in winter through to spring, as well as the blooming cherry blossoms and tulips which scored a 9.34/10 for vibrancy in the study.

Dubai Miracle Garden, UAE – 8.9/10

Credit – Sutterstock_Sergii Figurnyi

The fifth most beautiful spring flower spot in the study was found to be the Dubai Miracle Garden in the United Arab Emirates, which occupies over 72,000 square metres, making it the largest natural flower garden in the world.

With over 75,000 reviews since its opening in 2013, and a vibrancy score of 8.78/10, it is clear that this impressive garden deserves its place in the top five rankings.

Methodology:

1. Japan Rail Pass wanted to find out which are the best flower spots around the world to see in Spring.

2. To do this they collected data on 25 popular flower locations around the world including the following variables:

Google ratings and reviews.
Instagram hashtags (using all relevant hashtags including where applicable local language versions)
Vibrancy score.
- Vibrancy score is a measure of how vibrant / colourful the flowers are. To do this an image of the main flower typically found in Spring time at each location was passed through a colourfulness detection algorithm. https://pyimagesearch.com/2017/06/05/computing-image-colorfulness-with-opencv-and-python/

3. Finally, all 4 variables were combined using weighted averages of percentrank/normalization to give an overall score out of 10.

Travel

Why Utah’s Five National Parks Are On Many Bucket Lists

July 29, 2022 The Silo Leave a comment

Canada has some world leading parks but our neighbours to the South sure have their fair sure as well.

Utah’s five National Parks featured on Utah.com offer adventure travelers and families a unique blend of accessibility and grandeur that have put these beauties on bucket lists since their birth a hundred years ago. Utah’s magnificence extends far beyond the borders of its national parks, as travelers logging on to Utah.com will discover. While visiting Arches you can explore mountain bike slickrock trails in Moab; stop by Coral Pink Sand Dunes on your way to Zion; ski the slopes of Brian Head after you hike Navajo Loop in Bryce Canyon; swim in Calf Creek Falls while exploring Capitol Reef country; and rock climb in famous Indian Creek on your way out of Canyonlands.

Utah.com’s local expert team recently spent three days in Zion National Park where they browsed the area’s best rock shops, interviewed the park’s Director of Wildlife and went hiking with the locals.

They know where to take a six-year-old hiking; divulge the best spots to paddle a brand new kayak; and they’re keen to tell you which local bed and breakfast has the friendliest hosts and coziest fireplaces—and you can book all these experiences on the spot right on the site.

Travelers looking for meaningful and inspiring experiences in Utah can find itineraries about small towns like Kanab that are perfect for family excursions to national parks and other unexplored areas.

Utah.com also gives travelers practical hiking and biking trail information with difficulty ratings, photos, and waypoints. Adventurers can learn about places that locals have been quietly exploring for generations, and find the best base camps to maximize their limited time in the world’s top destination. For travelers on a budget, there are always tips about free admission days and where to take your kids when the weather rains on the outdoor parade.

And for the digitally dependent family member who longs to get off the grid? Utah.com’s off-season tips and information prove that Utah is a year-round wilderness of glorious solitude where Wi-Fi isn’t even a temptation.

Utah.com helps travelers discover, plan and book intergenerational traditions. They’ll want to take their children to Bryce Canyon National Park and pontificate about geological uplift, erosion and the Paunsaugunt Plateau after days of wandering through hoodoos—humanoid sandstone pillars. Eyes may roll, but those littles will find themselves giving the same speech to their kids decades later–in the exact same spot. Utah.com will lead them to national parks and awe-inspiring places they’ll never forget and will always preserve. For the Silo, Victoria George.