Staycation boom could revitalize domestic tourism as pandemic persists

Staycations are becoming an increasingly attractive option for Canadians looking to travel in 2022 but avoid the headaches and uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Like many Canadians in 2019, Toronto resident Daniela Renda was looking forward to a new year filled with fun travel, including a planned trip to Italy and France with her family.

Of course, we know how that story went — the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 derailed international and even cross-border travel plans for most Canadians.

“It was devastating, because I didn’t want to spend another summer in Toronto. I wanted to get out of the city. But you know, a pandemic changes things,” Renda recalls.

Heading into 2022, even with the Omicron wave swirling and an uncertain year of possible pandemic surges ahead, Renda’s travel plans have adjusted course, and she’s looking forward to getting away in her home province.

Rather than booking villas in Italy, she’s got 10 days set this summer at a cottage she visited this past winter in the Kawarthas, followed by a wine tour in Ontario’s Niagara-on-the-Lake.

“If I can’t taste wine in Tuscany, I can do it right here in Ontario,” Renda says.

The convenience and security of staycations, as local trips have been dubbed, are being pegged by industry leaders as a possible lifeline to support Canada’s hospitality sector after nearly two years of rotating lockdowns, travel restrictions and a general anxiety around international travel. But some are warning local business won’t be enough to sustain the industry long term.

Staycations are increasingly attractive to Canadians like Renda who might be worried about COVID-19 protocols and the pandemic situation abroad in 2022.