Go west for quirky city breaks
THROW a stick in the air here and it will come down on someone who has a Canadian connection, so no surprises that the land of the Maple Leaf is a big holiday destination for Scots. While departures from Scotland are abundant, the nature of the holidays we take in Canada are changing, according to the specialists at Barrhead Travel. The firm’s Sharon Munro says: ‘Typically, Canada has been most popular for our over-40s market who seek to tick off bucket-list experiences. ‘But we’ve noticed a significant increase in demand for holidays to Canada, with forward bookings up 131 per cent compared to the same period last year.’ It seems more millennials and young families are now heading west, though. Each year, the under-35s make up almost one third of UK holidaymakers travelling to Canada. Toronto in particular has become popular with millennials seeking a city break with culture, quirky districts, boutique shops, food and nightly entertainment. On the west coast, Vancouver is also popular with a younger generation seeking a cosmopolitan experience. Nicknamed Hollywood North, it is also home to eclectic districts – including the largest Chinatown outside China. Miss Munro says: ‘As an industry, we witness new city trends each year. Where Canada has particularly benefited, however, has been social media. Destination Canada, the tourist body, has been encouraging its own millennials to embark on domestic travel in the country, which has in turn generated inspiring user-generated content on social media, piquing interest from the twentysomething travellers across the Pond. ‘Does this mean that our Canada clientele will decrease in age? Absolutely not. If anything, younger travellers getting a taste of their first Canadian experience will only entice them back at later stages in life.’