From Riad to Ryokan: How Alternative Accommodations are Fuelling the Curious Canadian Traveller

Toronto, ON – January 16, 2019 – Ever dreamt of lounging poolside amongst the palms of your Moroccan riad? Booking.com, the global leader in connecting travellers with the widest choice of incredible places to stay, conducted research and coupled it with its own data and insights to reveal what inspires Canadian travellers to look further than the familiar and leap into the unknown by selecting alternative places to stay for their next vacation.

Desire to be different

Vacations are an opportunity to shake up your normal routine, to try something new and, sometimes, even let it change your outlook. So, it is no surprise that over a quarter of Canadian travellers (26%)* prefer unique and quirky accommodations while on vacation, such as luxury tents, castles, and treehouses.

Yet, travellers do not only want to feel inspired themselves, they also strive to impress their friends, which is why almost half of Canadian travellers (43%) reveal they would like to visit somewhere that’s so unique, none of their friends have been there.

Live like a local

Staying in alternative accommodations, like an apartment or aparthotel, can offer an inspiring change of perspective. It allows travellers to explore the local surroundings of their destination and embrace a home away from home. It gives them the opportunity to find hidden gems only locals would know about and almost half (41%)** of Canadian travellers agree that staying in a home-type accommodation lets them see areas of a city or parts of a country that they wouldn’t have explored otherwise.

Budget Friendly

Aside from allowing travellers to explore destinations like locals, alternative types of accommodation can also offer the opportunity of more affordable travel. And with so much of the world waiting to be discovered, this is one major incentive that almost half (40%)** of Canadian travellers agree with, stating that staying in a home-type accommodation allows them to feel that they are getting the most value for their money.

Nuno Guerreiro Regional Manager Canada at Booking.com, explains: “We are seeing a clear trend among travellers to try unique types of accommodations and we understand that the perfect stay may look different for each of them. So, whether it’s an icy igloo, a cozy cabin or luxury villa you’re after – Booking.com offers more than 5.8 million instantly bookable homes, apartments and other unique places to stay to make sure that your next special experience is just a few clicks away.”

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CONTACT DETAILS

For further information, contact the Booking.com Canada Press Office;

annie@punchcanada.com | 416.668.3393

NOTES TO EDITORS

*Research commissioned by Booking.com and independently conducted among a sample of 53,492 respondents across 31 markets. In order to participate in this survey, respondents had to be 18 years of age or older, had to have travelled at least once in the past 12 months and be either the primary decision maker or involved in the decision making of their travel. The survey was taken online and took place between October 16th and November 12th, 2018.

**Research commissioned by Booking.com and independently conducted among a sample of adults who have taken a trip in the last 12 months/plan to take a trip in the next 12 months. In total 21,500 respondents were polled (including 1,000 each from Australia, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, China, Brazil, India, US, UK, Russia, Indonesia, Colombia and South Korea; and 500 each from Japan, New Zealand, Thailand, Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Hong Kong, Croatia, Taiwan, Mexico, Netherlands, Sweden, Singapore and Israel). Respondents completed an online survey between 10th August to 30th August 2018.

About Booking.com

Established in 1996 in Amsterdam, Booking.com B.V. has grown from a small Dutch start-up to one of the largest travel e-commerce companies in the world. Part of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: BKNG), Booking.com now employs more than 17,000 employees in 198 offices in 70 countries worldwide.

With a mission to empower people to experience the world, Booking.com invests in digital technology that helps take the friction out of travel. At Booking.com, we connect travelers with the world’s largest selection of incredible places to stay, including everything from apartments, vacation homes, and family-run B&Bs to 5-star luxury resorts, tree houses and even igloos. The Booking.com website and mobile apps are available in 43 languages, offer over 29 million total reported listings, including more than 5.8 million listings of homes, apartments and other unique places to stay, and covers more than 144,000 destinations in 229 countries and territories worldwide.

Each day, more than 1.5 million room nights are reserved on our platform. So whether traveling for business or leisure, customers can instantly book their ideal place to stay quickly and easily with Booking.com, without booking fees and backed up by our promise to price match. Via our customer experience team, customers can reach Booking.com 24/7 for assistance and support in over 40 languages, any time of the day or night.

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