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By Omran Wahidy

Hatters choose to travel locally amidst rising travel cost

Jul 20, 2023 | 4:59 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – With the rising costs of flights and hotels, many Canadians have had to change their travel plans.

Inflation strains have been felt for months, from groceries to gas and travelling. According to a new Leger poll, one in three Canadians has changed or cancelled their vacation plans due to costs.

Loreen Wiedemann, a travel agent in Medicine Hat, says a lot of her clients have chosen to travel locally instead.

“A lot of my clients have cancelled or postponed their trips because of the cost of travel. A lot of that is airfare, it is just atrocious, and unless you can get a sale, it’s expensive,” she says.

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“Inflation definitely has a lot to do with that, and I also think the amount of cancellations that airlines are doing is affecting the price.”

With the rising travel costs, many Canadians are opting to take shorter trips or ‘staycations’ to save money for their holidays. Jace Anderson, executive director for Tourism Medicine Hat, says the city is experiencing more people staying and enjoying their time off at home.

“The staycation opportunity in Medicine Hat is legitimate and makes a lot of sense. So if that’s something we are feeling collectively as a community, the numbers bear it out. We are home to more than 60,000 people. So many of them love this area, so the opportunity for us to invite our friends and relatives to come and see us is gonna save us a couple of dollars. And we are gonna have the opportunity to show them a part of the city that we love.”

As travellers seek new places to go, Medicine Hat is gaining the eyes of travellers across the country.

“What we are seeing right now is with certain segments of the travel population, we are becoming a key consideration. Whether that’s part of a longer journey or whether that is the end destination.”