Four of the biggest reasons Albertans want to travel to new Canadian destinations
With a weak Canadian dollar and political jabs from our neighbours to the south, many Albertans are deciding to travel around their own backyard this fall.
A new study from Leger on the fall travel trends of Canadians revealed that there are some top motivators for Albertans to book a trip to visit somewhere new in the country.
Albertans in the poll say the biggest motivators for visiting new Canadian destinations were the following;
- A deal, discount, or travel package at 44 per cent
- A road trip or scenic drive at 32 per cent
- Outdoor or nature experiences at 29 per cent
- A recommendation from friends or family at 25 per cent.
The lowest motivators for Albertans were a sporting event (10 per cent) and social media content about the destination (five per cent).
EB Adventure Photography/Shutterstock
Value is the strongest motivator for exploring new Canadian destinations, with 41 per cent citing a deal, discount, or travel package. Beyond affordability, unique attractions or experiences (29 per cent), road trips or scenic drives (28 per cent), recommendations from friends or family (27 per cent), and outdoor or nature experiences (25 per cent) also encourage exploration. While affordability can help attract travellers to a new destination in Canada, distinctive and appealing experiences provide additional reasons to visit.
Albertans were most likely to report increased intent to travel to Canadian destinations outside their home province over the next 12 months, landing at 40 per cent. Travel within their home province also sat at 40 per cent, while travel to the United States landed at 12 per cent. Travel to Mexico and outside Canada/United States/Mexico also came in at 20 and 22 per cent, respectively.
This online survey was conducted from Sept. to 6, 2026, among 1,538 Canadian residents aged 18 and older, recruited through LEO’s online panel. Results were weighted by age, gender, region, and incidence of leisure travellers to ensure the sample was representative of Canadian leisure travellers, based on Statistics Canada’s latest census data.
You can view the full report online.