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Canadian Travel Market

Visiting Fairs and Festivals While on Trips of One or More Nights

 

A Profile Report

November 4, 2007

Executive Summary

Over the last two years, 28.0% (6,949,250) of adult Canadians visited a fair or festival while on an out-of-town, overnight trip of one or more nights. Farmers’ markets or country fairs (15.0%) were visited most often, followed by fireworks displays (11.8%), exhibitions or fairs (8.6%), carnivals (5.1%), food and drink festivals (4.1%) and ethnic festivals (3.2%). Attending fairs and festivals while on trips was the 4th most frequent culture and entertainment activity type undertaken by Canadian Pleasure Travelers in the past two years. Of those who visited a fair or festival, 28.3% (1,964,877) reported that this activity was the main reason for taking at least one trip in the past two years.

Relative to the average Canadian Pleasure Traveler, Fair and Festival Visitors are slightly more likely to be female (53.1%) and younger. The majority are married and their level of education and household incomes ($74,722) are slightly above-average. They are also slightly over-represented in Saskatchewan, British Columbia and Ontario.

Fair and Festival Visitors are less frequent travelers than the majority of the other culture and entertainment activity types. Fair and Festival Visitors were the 13th most likely of the 21 culture and entertainment activity types to have taken a trip within their own province or region (90.0%), the 17th most likely to have traveled to an adjacent province or region (53.1%) and the 15th most likely to have visited a non-adjacent province or region (36.5%) in the past two years. Their out-of-country travel is also below-average. They were the 18th most likely to have visited the United States (56.5%), the 15th most likely to have visited Mexico (14.5%), the 19th most likely to have taken a trip to the Caribbean (15.9%) and the 13th most likely to have traveled overseas (27.1%).

Fair and Festival Visitors were very likely to attend other types of exhibitions and festivals while on trips (e.g., theme parks & exhibits; musical concerts, festivals & attractions; science & technology exhibits; equestrian & western events; comedy festivals & clubs; literary & film festivals). They were also very active in outdoor activities while on trips and especially physically strenuous activities (e.g., exercising & jogging, cycling). This activity segment was also observed to take a wide variety of tours while traveling. They prefer vacations that offer novelty and learning opportunities as well as a chance to renew personal connections with their friends.

Relative to the other 21 culture and entertainment activity types, those who attended fairs and festivals are below-average users of the Internet to plan (66.5%) and book (43.1%) travel. However, they are above-average consumers of travel-related media and may also be effectively targeted through house and home-related media (e.g., house & home websites; home & garden television; crafts, antiques & collectibles magazines).

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