Tag Archives: Dominican Republic

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

Reviews

Finest Coffee And Coconut Oil From Dominican Republic

January 28, 2022 The Silo Leave a comment

Everyone already knows Kimera Koffee’s for its finest ground coffee, highest quality beans, and some of the best flavors on the market. Now Kimera Koffee is growing the family with its limited edition Phase 1 Peaberry Whole Bean Koffee and Kimera Koconut Oil.

The Kimera Koffee Pase 1 Peaberry Whole Bean Koffee is grown in Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic. Using some of the finest beans, this blend uses the plants’ yield of 3%-5% peaberry beans, each hand selected and sorted. Peaberry beans are unique in that they are the only bean in the cherry (rather than two), therefore receiving all of the plant’s nutrients in a concentrated dose.

Peaberry beans roast differently partly because they have a single coffee bean within a single coffee cherry (fruit), instead of the usual two half-beans per cherry.

Peaberry beans are regarded as naturally sweeter, more aromatic, and more pleasant in taste than regular coffee beans.

This limited edition flavor packs a punch to your morning routine with some of the freshest, most potent whole beans you can find.

Kimera’s other new addition is the Kimera Koconut Oil. This handcrafted, pure coconut oil is sure to pack a delicious punch with any drink or cooking need. Kimera’s Koconut Oil is extra virgin and cold pressed, giving you the finest, most high quality oil on the market. The oil is non-GMO and unrefined for the best flavor and potency money can buy.

As well as Kimera Koffee’s dedication to proving the high quality products on the market, they are aslo are proud supporters of the Belarminio Ramirez Foundation, which uses their donations to provide school materials, clothes, food, and basic household appliances to communities in the Dominican Republic’s farming towns. Every Kimera Koffee purchase helps aid this fight for a better future. Featured image- cronkite.asu.edu For the Silo, Katie Lapinski.

Kimera Koffee can be purchased online through their website at kimerakoffee.com or Amazon, as well as at select retailers in the USA, Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.

Supplemental- The many great health benefits, both physical and mental, of MCT Oil vs Coconut Oil.

Gourmet Coffee Lovers: What is a peaberry?

Philanthropy

Dominican Republic Province Altagracia Suffering With Poverty

January 5, 2017 The Silo Leave a comment

Villa Altagracia is the easternmost province of the Dominican Republic. The name “La Altagracia” (High Grace) commemorates a painting, Our Lady of La Altagracia, brought from Spain in the early 16th century. Our Lady of La Altagracia is known to the Dominicans as a protector of the Island, to create miracles.

Our Lady of Altagracia Painting by Unknown Artist. Exhibited at Basilica Nuestra Senora de La Altagracia

Altagracias 2

Sadly, as we drove up the hill of Altagracia, we couldn’t help but notice that a miracle is what this village needed the most. We noticed the roads were unpaved, uneven, and more so just paths of orange dirt. The houses are shacks, made of tree branches, plastic and debris from the streets, the bedrooms separated by tarps and bed sheets, sometimes, a single room holding a family of seven. As we made our way up, we spotted a young boy, fully nude – gripping onto his mother’s hand. She didn’t seem much more lively than the boy. Her skin was cracked and her spirit seemed tired and broken. These people aren’t living, they are merely surviving as best they can to provide for themselves, and their children.

La Altagracia is suffering from poverty.
Poverty. It isn’t being “broke”, it isn’t frugality, or living paycheck-to-paycheck, it isn’t going without your television for a month or cutting back on extravagances.
Poverty is real. It exists. For the people of La Altagracia, it is a normalcy, and it is a harsh reality. These people cannot turn on a sink to wash their hands or brush their teeth. They cannot flush a toilet or take a shower. They don’t have access to fresh, running water. In extreme hot temperatures, these people have to walk a mile and a half to get water from a lake and then walk back with only the amount of water they are able to carry. These people lack countless luxuries that most people take for granted, they don’t know anything else.

Any donations will be utilized to build a public restroom and a well in the village of Altagracia. In the future, we have planned on offering additional resources throughout the village. As for now, we are taking baby steps to provide them with necessities. You have the ability to provide our leaders of tomorrow with the resources they need to build their minds today. We need at least six notebooks per child, books, pens, and other basic school supplies – $10 per child is all it takes to change a life and provide an opportunity for a higher education. Your donations will help make this dream turn into the miracle this village so desperately needs.

Altagracias 3 All donations will go out to the Village of Altagracia in Dominican Republic. Because of your generous giving, Villa Altagracia will be provided with water, a public restroom, educational resources, and an overall growth and unity in community living. For the Silo, Jessica Kirk.

Please visit their website at Altagracias.org

Culture

Canada Migrant Worker Program Not Perfect But Seen As World Model

September 9, 2014 The Silo Leave a comment

TORONTO, CANADA – The world’s most successful program connecting seasonal workers with agricultural employers has kicked into high gear.

Administered by Foreign Agricultural Resource Management Services (F.A.R.M.S.), the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP) links approximately 14,000 requests for seasonal workers with jobs at Ontario farms this growing season.

Not only does the 52-year-old program provide a long list of benefits to the workers and the farmers, but also it creates two Canadian jobs in the agrifood industry for every worker employed through SAWP at Ontario agricultural operations, says Ken Forth, president of F.A.R.M.S.

“Governments and agricultural organizations around the world are looking at this program as a model,” Forth says. “For decades, this program has provided Ontario farmers a steady source of reliable labour as a supplement to local labour. At the same time it gives the seasonal workers well-paying employment, benefits and educational opportunities not available at home.”

Not without critics- the Seasonal Agri-worker program has been linked to the continued decline of the "family farm" and the continued trend of "farm industrialization"- See supplemental section link below CP — Not without critics- the Seasonal Agri-worker program has been linked to the continued decline of the “family farm” and the continued trend of “farm industrialization”- See supplemental section link below CP

Seasonal workers employed at Ontario farm operations through SAWP:

Sign contracts that guarantee them all the protections and benefits that Canadian workers receive, including WSIB, certain EI benefits and provincial health care coverage.
Receive an hourly wage rate set by Human Resources & Skills Development Canada.The hourly rate is not less than the provincial minimum wage rate or the local prevailing rate paid to Canadians doing the same job, whichever is greatest.
Earn up to five times more than they could in their own countries, which enables them to support their families, educate their children and buy and operate businesses and farms in their own countries.

Farmers have also realized great benefits from the program for more than 40 years, enabling them to hire staff that would otherwise be extremely challenging to find because of the ongoing shortage of suitable and available local Canadian workers.

Social justice groups point to concerns over health and safety

“Ontario farmers pay the highest farm worker wages in North America and face intense competition from low-wage competitors,” Forth says. “Without this program, many Ontario farmers simply couldn’t continue to grow fruits and vegetables. They’d stop growing altogether or move into less labour-intensive crops.

About the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program:

More information about Canada’s Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP) can be found at www.farmsontario.ca

Supplemental- NSI study highlighting concerns related to the program’ http://www.nsi-ins.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/2006-Migrant-Workers-in-Canada-A-review-of-the-Canadian-Seasonal-Agricultural-Workers-Program.pdf