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Between July and October 2021, Discover Halifax conducted research in five key markets to learn more about people's intent to travel in 2022 and their perceptions of Halifax as a destination.

The world has changed a lot over the last two years. And the way we make travel decisions has shifted, too. As a result, a traveller's decision journey looks a lot different than it did in 2019. As Discover Halifax plans for the future and the tourism industry continues to experience recovery and growth, we recently conducted research to learn more about people's intent to travel in 2022, their perceptions of Halifax as a destination, and understand comfort levels with travel and activities in general.

The research was conducted in five key markets, including urban Alberta (Edmonton and Calgary), the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), Newfoundland, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island, between July and October 2021.

This research, along with our ongoing industry data and analysis, helps us (along with our partners and members) make informed decisions for future planning.

Learning from Reconnections

The research conducted in the GTA and urban Alberta coincided with Discover Halifax's Reconnections campaign, the most comprehensive campaign in the company's history. The campaign marked the first time Discover Halifax advertised in these markets. Targeting brand new markets presented an opportunity to set benchmarks and measure if the perceptions of Halifax had changed over the course of the campaign.

The rich data and insight we obtained motivated us to do similar research in the three Atlantic provinces in September 2021.

Research highlights

  • There has been an 8% increase in people in the GTA and urban Alberta markets who have added Halifax to their destination-of-choice lists.
  • Halifax is the Canadian city Atlantic Canadians are most likely to visit in the next 12 months.
  • Halifax has what Atlantic Canadians are looking for—a safe, change of scenery.

Quick facts

  • Leger Research carried out the research between July and September 2021.
  • The research targeted 1500 people through an online web survey.
  • Discover Halifax worked with agency partner Trampoline on the Reconnections marketing campaign.
  • The research had several areas of focus:
    • current attitudes toward travel
    • current intent toward travel
    • brand perceptions (Halifax)
    • willingness to visit Halifax
    • COVID-19 related concerns