British Columbians are eager to travel after years of pandemic-related restrictions slowed air travel to a halt.
This summer, travellers around the world have already planned stays in over 72,000 cities and towns and short-term rental biz Airbnb expects to have upwards of 300 million guest arrivals on its platform.
The company has also identified some B.C. summer travel trends, including a noteworthy hunger for more affordable options. Travellers looked for cheaper accommodations to cut down on costs, with searches for "private rooms" up roughly 48 per cent.
The top four most popular search categories for B.C. residents were , , , and .
Many popular destinations are jam-packed with tourists during B.C.'s short-lived sunny season, making it difficult to relax on public beaches and pools.
Okanagan Lake, for example, welcomes thousands of visitors to its sandy shore. But if fighting crowds isn't your idea of a perfect summer day, you'll want to stay somewhere that offers a private respite.
A couple of Canadian accommodations also made it into the top ten"most wish-listed of all time" rentals. These include the in Quebec City, and the Cob Cottage on Mayne Island, B.C.
Heading into the May long weekend, the travel company has released the top domestic and international destinations for B.C. travellers.
Top five domestic destinations for B.C. travellers
- Hornby Island
- Richmond
- Burnaby
- Abbotsford
- Langley Township
Top five international destinations for B.C. travellers
- Florence, Italy
- Rome, Italy
- Nashville, U.S.
- Seattle, U.S.
- Sorrento, Italy