Canadians are increasingly turning concerts, festivals and major cultural events into reasons to travel, and domestic destinations are benefiting.
Flight Centre Canada’s latest booking data shows domestic travel bookings for summer departures are up approximately 15% year-over-year, with Canadian destinations accounting for roughly one-third of all bookings in both April and May.
The increase comes as Canadians become more intentional about planning trips around experiences rather than simply choosing a destination. This summer’s events calendar is packed with travel-driving moments, from the Montreal Jazz Festival and Calgary Stampede to Osheaga, Boots and Hearts, TIFF, and Noah Kahan’s Canadian tour stops.
It’s a continuation of a broader trend Flight Centre identified earlier this year: travellers are prioritizing meaningful experiences and exploring destinations closer to home.
Amra Durakovic, Flight Centre Travel Group, discusses what’s happening in the industry.
Question: What’s driving the rise of event-led travel among Canadians, and how significant is this shift compared to pre-pandemic travel behaviour?
Answer: Immediately after the pandemic, we saw revenge travel. People simply wanted to get away after years of restrictions and delayed plans.
Today, travel feels more intentional. Increasingly, a concert, sporting event or festival gives people a reason to travel, and then they build a trip around it.
Our recent YouGov research found nearly seven in 10 Canadians are interested in travelling outside their home province for a live event. Among those travellers, creating memories (64 per cent) and spending time with loved ones (63 per cent) matter more than supporting a favourite team or artist.
People aren’t just attending the event. They’re turning it into a long weekend or a full vacation.
Q: How have major events like the Montreal International Jazz Festival and Calgary Stampede influenced domestic booking patterns this summer?
A: Domestic demand has been very strong. In both April and May, roughly one-third of all bookings made through Flight Centre Canada were for destinations within Canada. And that appetite isn’t slowing down. Looking ahead to summer, domestic bookings are running about 15 per cent ahead of the same period last year.
We’re also seeing Canadians spend more around these experiences. Looking at the total value of trips booked through Flight Centre, including flights, hotels and other travel components, Montreal bookings during the Jazz Festival period are up 9.2 per cent from last year, while Calgary Stampede bookings are up 45 per cent.
That tells us people aren’t just coming in for the event and leaving. They’re making a trip out of it.
Q: Why are more Canadians choosing domestic destinations over international travel, and do you see this as a lasting trend?
A: I don’t think it’s a case of Canadians choosing Canada over the world. Europe remains the anchor for summer travel.
What’s changing is that Canadians are becoming more intentional. Major events are giving people new reasons to explore destinations closer to home, whether that’s a festival in Montreal, Stampede in Calgary or TIFF in Toronto.
I think that mindset is here to stay because experiences are increasingly shaping where people go.
Q: How are festivals like Osheaga, Boots and Hearts and TIFF shaping demand across different regions?
A: We’re seeing strong demand right across the country, with Vancouver, Toronto, Halifax, Calgary and Montreal emerging as our top Canadian destinations this summer.
These events create a ripple effect. People may come for the event, but they stay for the restaurants, neighbourhoods and everything else a destination has to offer.
From an economic perspective, these events matter because they encourage visitors to spend more time, and more money, in the communities they visit.
Q: What advice would you give travellers looking to plan trips around high-demand events, particularly in terms of timing, pricing and availability?
A: Treat these trips differently than a regular vacation. Demand is fixed, so waiting rarely works in your favour.
We’re seeing Canadians book these trips well in advance, with average lead times stretching to roughly three or four months. That’s another sign these aren’t impulse purchases. People are planning around experiences they don’t want to miss.
Most importantly, leave room to experience the destination itself. Sometimes the moments you didn’t plan for end up being the most memorable.
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