MONTREAL -- Get ready for Canadian tourists, Japan?
Several cities in the land of the rising sun, sushi and samurai topped KAYAK's increasing trends list for 2020. The travel search engine released its annual Travel Hacker Guide, and Osaka saw a 145 per cent increase in searches and 2020 Olympics host Tokyo rose 12 per cent.
Hawaii's Kailua-Kona is up 89 per cent, while Italian cities Rome (23 per cent increase) and Milan (19 per cent) are also on the list.
It's a regional shift for travel destinations in 2020 compared with 2019.
"While last year's trending destinations highlighted cities in the Caribbean, Central and South America, this year Europe and Asia are stealing the spotlight for 2020 travel," said KAYAK North American regional director Steve Sinatra. "Instead of travelling to hotter destinations, Canadians are seeking overseas adventure with a range of cultural offerings."
Montrealers, however, remain addicted to sun, surf, and sand searching for warm destinations such as Marinique, Saint Martin, Aruba, Puerto Rico, Brazil and Colombia. The Caribbean remains tops for Montreal searches with Fort-de-France, Martinique up 72 per cent and Simpson Bay in St. Marin up 62 per cent.
Montrealers' Trend Destinations for 2020
Top cities according to increase in searches (%)
- Fort-de-France, Martinique, 72%
- Simpson Bay, Sint Maarten, 62%
- Seoul, Korea, 39%
- Vienna, Austria, 33%
- Oranjestad, Aruba, 29%
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2%
- Bogotá, Colombia, 27%
- Kahului, Hawaii, 23%
- San Juan, Puerto Rico, 22%
- Bordeaux, France, 21%
To compile the hacker guide, KAYAK processes billions of global queries across platforms each year.
