Canada’s Thanksgiving weekend is almost upon us and as well as hanging out with friends and family, one of the most popular pastimes is travelling. This year Canadians are still plumping to visit their own major cities such as Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto. And with the Canadian dollar on a par with the US Dollar, North American cities are also proving to be very popular.
The ten most popular destinations for this thanksgiving vacations are listed below, with last years ranking in brackets;
1. New York City, USA (2)
2. Montreal, Canada (3)
3. Toronto, Canada (1)
4. Vancouver, Canada (4)
5. Las Vegas, USA (7)
6. Minneapolis, USA (8)
7. Boston, USA (6)
8. Chicago, USA (5)
9. San Francisco, USA (-)
10. Seattle, USA (-)
The Canadian cities of Ottawa, Ontario (9) and Halifax, Nova Scotia (10) have been nudged off this year’s list by San Francisco and Seattle. However 3 of the top 4 cities are Canadian.
Thanksgiving is a fantastic time to travel as its considered shoulder season so availability tends to be greater and prices a little lower, before the Christmas and New Year frenzy kick in. The crowds have dispersed and the weather remains temperate.
The results of the 2012 Canadian Hotel Rate Report have also just been published which details the five Canadian cities whose rates have dropped to the greatest extent. This also guides travellers as to which cities will currently give the best value for a vacation. The five cities with the percentage drop in brackets;
Winnipeg (12%)
Whistler (4%)
Charlottetown (3%)
Kingston (3%)
Vancouver (2%)
Thanksgiving Day in Canada has been celebrated on the second Monday in October since 1957 and is not to be confused with the USA Thanksgiving Day. The statutory holiday is for Canadians to give thanks to the end of the harvest period.