Over 91% of Canadian snowbirds intend to travel this winter, survey shows

According to a recent survey conducted by Snowbird Advisor, 91 per cent of Canadian snowbirds intend to travel next winter.

Another 8 per cent of snowbirds said they were uncertain if they would go away this coming winter season, with the number one reason being it will depend on whether the Canada - U.S. land border is open.

The survey was conducted June 23 to 25, 2021 and received over 4,000 responses from snowbirds across Canada.

“The survey confirms that Canadian snowbirds have no intention of spending another winter in Canada,” said Stephen Fine, President of Snowbird Advisor, “Last winter, approximately 60 per cent of snowbirds stayed home due to fear of COVID.”

Other survey results include:

Trip Length: Over 66 per cent of respondents said they plan on spending 3 months or more away from Canada this winter.

Destinations: Not surprisingly, the U.S. is the top destination for snowbirds, with 83 per cent planning on spending their winter in the U.S. Mexico came in second at 6 per cent, the Caribbean at 3 per cent, Europe at 3 per cent, Central and South America at 1 per cent and other destinations at 4 per cent.

Stark contrast with survey results last November 

In a similar survey conducted last November by Snowbird Advisor, over 40 per cent of Canadian snowbirds said they would not be travelling last winter, while only about 30 per cent said they definitely would go away for all or part of the winter and 25 per cent were undecided.

“Clearly, snowbirds feel much more confident about travelling again, no doubt due to high vaccination rates in Canada and the U.S. as well as lower COVID case counts, despite travel advisories still being in place and the border closure,” said Fine.