Hotels Versus Vacation Rentals Comparison Shopping, Vacation Planning, and Popular Themes for Canada’s British Colombia Top Vacation Destinations
Vacation rentals and Lodging Leader Web site Rentalo.com Reveals Trends on Comparison Shopping, Vacation Planning and Themes from Travelers Who Visited Victoria, Kelowna, Vancouver, and Whistler
Miami, FL. February 23, 2010 –A recent trend analysis study on 11,541 opted-in travelers searching for hotels, bed and breakfasts, and vacation rentals in Canada’s top vacation destinations from July 2008 to January 2010 has been revealed by Rentalo.com; a leading lodging and vacation rental directory. In an effort to cooperate with the travel industry in Canada, the website is excited to share these insightful trends hoping that travel suppliers in British Colombia may gain better understanding of the vacation planning dynamics, consumer’s level of interest in comparison shopping, and vacation themes for these top destinations. The study also confirms Rentalo’s strategic approach as a lodging web site that facilitates comparison shopping and vacation planning for leisure travelers.
British Colombia’s Top Leisure & Romantic Vacation Destination: Victoria
Forty-four percent of the vacation planners showed interest in comparison shopping among Victoria vacation rentals, bed breakfasts, motels, and hotels. 57 percent were also interested in receiving offers from vacation houses, condos, guesthouses, inns, and hotels in Victoria including Malahat, Brentwood Bay, Sooke, Sidney, Friday Harbor, and Mill Bay.
Forty-four percent were early planners who started their Victoria vacation planning 2 or more months in advance from the travel date, 19 percent of the inquiries were sent 1 to 2 months in advance, and 36 percent were from last minute travelers inquiring within the last 30 days prior to the arrival date.
Victoria’s most popular vacation theme is romance with 41 percent of the traveler’s inquiries requesting accommodations for 2 adults, 27 percent for families with children, 20 percent for groups of four or more adults, and 14 percent for people traveling alone.
British Colombia’s Top Family & Golf Vacation Destination: Kelowna
Seventy-two percent of the vacation planners showed interest in comparison shopping among Kelowna vacation rentals, bed and breakfasts, and hotels. 47 percent were also interested in receiving offers from vacation cabins, cottages, guesthouses, motels, and hotels in Kelowna including Westbank, Peachland, Okanagan Valley, Summerland, Penticton, and Naramata.
Forty-six percent were early planners who started their vacation planning 2 or more months in advance from the travel date, 19 percent of the inquiries were sent 1 to 2 months in advance, and 35 percent were from last minute travelers inquiring within the last 30 days prior to the arrival date.
Kelowna’s most popular vacation theme is family getaways with 49 percent of the inquiries requesting accommodations for families with kids, and 44 percent for groups of more than 4 adults. 19 percent of the inquiries were from couples and 3 percent from those traveling alone.
British Colombia’s Top Sports & Romance Vacation Destination: Vancouver
Seventy percent of the vacation planners showed interest in comparison shopping among Vancouver vacation rentals, bed and breakfasts, inns, and hotels.
Forty-six percent of the travelers planning their stay in Vancouver were early planners who started their vacation planning 2 or more months in advance from the travel date, 21 percent of the inquiries were sent 1 to 2 months in advance, and 32 percent were from last minute travelers inquiring within the last 30 days prior to the arriving to their lodging in Vancouver.
Vancouver’s most popular vacation theme (besides the Olympics) is romance with 32 percent of the inquiries requesting accommodations for two, 24 percent were from families with children, 19 percent from groups of more than 4 adults, and 21 percent of the inquiries were from people traveling alone.
British Colombia’s Top Family Vacation Destination: Whistler
Seventy-six percent of the vacation planners showed interest in comparison shopping among Whistler vacation rentals, b&bs, inns, and small hotels. 50 percent were also interested in receiving offers from vacation cabins, inns, and boutique hotels in the vicinity of Whistler such as Pemberton, Pemberton Valley, and Garibaldi Highlands.
Forty-six percent of the travelers planning their stay in Vancouver were early planners who started their vacation planning 2 or more months in advance from the travel date, 21 percent of the inquiries were sent 1 to 2 months in advance, and 32 percent were from last minute travelers inquiring within the last 30 days prior of arriving to their lodging in Whistler.
Based on this study data, Whistler’s most popular vacation theme is family reunions with 53 percent of the inquiries for groups of more than 4 adults and 22 percent from families with children. 14 percent of the inquiries were from couples and 6 percent from solo or business travelers.
In today's fast paced environment, having easy access to information plays an important role in consumer's decisions. “This analysis confirms travelers’ high interest in comparison shopping among hotels, vacation rentals, and bed and breakfasts.” says Gabriel Amorocho, Marketing Manager for Rentalo.com. “It also shows that most travelers like to start planning their vacations 2 or more months in advance.”
Additional statistics and analysis data are available from Rentalo.com on its opted-in database of 1 million travelers and vacation inventory suppliers. Rentalo has helped more than 400,000 travelers find and book the best values in vacation rentals, hotels, and bed and breakfasts since July of 2008.
About Rentalo.com
Rentalo.com is a leading online travel lodging and vacation rentals website. Its broad inventory of vacation rentals, bed and breakfasts, and hotels is available online and via RSS feeds, affiliate distribution partners, as well as thousands of journalists and editors through e-mail, press releases, and travel publications. Through selected partnerships, Rentalo's inventory is available to an online audience of more than 100 million travelers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit rentalo.com or call 1(305) 558-5577.
Media Contact:
Carolina Plata
c.plata@rentalo.com
1-305-558-5577 ext 607