Domestic travel rises as more Canadian cities welcome guests on Airbnb

It was an unprecedented year of exploration on Airbnb across Canada in 2023, with a record number of Canadians travelling domestically on the platform. There were nearly 8 million domestic guest arrivals last year, an increase of nearly 30 percent since 2019 – bringing tourism spending to communities across the country. What’s more is that over 1,700 Canadian cities and towns welcomed guests, making it the most dispersed year of travel in Canada on the platform.

The trend comes as new insights reveal that, of Canadians who intend to travel in 2024,  71 percent intend to plan to do so domestically, including 44 percent planning to travel within their own province, according to Abacus Data.  

In 2023, nearly 40 Canadian cities and towns welcomed their first guests, the overwhelming majority of which were non-urban destinations (approximately 95 percent). From the border town of Centreville, New Brunswick, to the self-proclaimed lily capital of the world, Neepawa, Manitoba, guests took in more of Canada’s unique cultures and landscapes last year. 

In total, more than 4,000 cities and towns across the globe welcomed their first Airbnb stays last year, allowing travellers to discover new places in an affordable way through listing options that can offer more value and are often cheaper than hotel stays.  In fact, the average nightly price of a one-bedroom listing on Airbnb globally in December 2023 was $154CAD, down 2 percent from the prior-year period, while hotel prices rose 7 percent to $201CAD over the same period.¹

The record number of Canadian destinations welcoming guests aligns with global trends. Airbnb data shows 2023 was the most dispersed year of travel, with guests travelling to more than 100,000 cities and towns and 200 countries and regions – a feat made possible by our Hosts, which now number over 5 million, around the world.² 

Dispersed travel across on Airbnb isn’t just affordable, it also boosts local economies and jobs, and immerses travellers in Canadian communities. In contrast, traditional travel often tends to concentrate tourism economically and geographically, causing overcrowding, congestion, and tensions between people and the places they’re visiting. Airbnb is helping to alleviate travel congestion on an increasing scale, in fact, last year we revealed that nearly 50 percent of Canada is home to Airbnb listings in areas with no hotels. In 2023, the top 10 most-visited destinations on Airbnb accounted for around seven percent of nights stayed, compared to 10 percent in 2019. 

Some of Canada’s most-booked, affordable cities 

Whether you’re a local traveller or coming from afar, the price of travel is top-of-mind for visitors, everywhere. In Canada, some of the most booked, affordable destinations³ in 2023 include a cross-section of cities across the country: 

• Winnipeg, Manitoba
• Kitchener, Ontario
• Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
• Gatineau, Quebec
• Prince George, British Columbia

Going far and wide

While many Canadians travelled domestically last year, many other Canadian travellers packed their passports and visited international destinations. Here are Canadian cities with the highest share of guests that travelled abroad in 2023:

• Greater Montreal, Quebec
• Sherbrooke, Quebec
• Vaughan, Ontario
• Vancouver, British Columbia
• Oakville, Ontario

Where they’re going

We’re often asked about travel trends and where Airbnb guests are going. To better answer and visualize those trends, we created a map with some of Canada’s biggest cities and the three international destinations that guests from those cities were more likely to visit.