TomTom Summer Travel Survey Finds Most Canadians Will Travel in July and by Car

TomTom today released the results of a survey on summer travel plans and preferences. The survey found that most Canadians (38 per cent) are planning to take a one to two week summer vacation and are most likely to go during the month of July. The results also showed that the vast majority of people are staying local, with 59 per cent of people travelling within Canada and 16 per cent heading to the United States. Additionally, the road trip is alive and well with Canadian travellers with people mainly travelling to their destination by car: 59per cent with their own car, while 6per cent will with a rental car.

The TomTom study found the top three reasons Canadians choose their destinations are 1) it is relaxing, 2) they like nature and 3) it is close to home. Two-thirds per cent of Canadians believe that it is important to go on a summer vacation, but budget travel is also still a top priority for people – 61 per cent of people spending less than $1,600 in total on their vacations. If money were no object, TomTom found that most people would choose to visit a tropical paradise island (35 per cent), go on a cruise (17 per cent), or go on a road trip (17 per cent).

Travellers looking for a tropical paradise getaway can apply for TomTom’s Map Paradise Project, an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for five families or groups of friends to spend two weeks on a tropical island and “earn” $15,000 for mapping it. The Map Paradise Project will help create five new navigable maps for: Fiji, St. Lucia, Mauritius, Cape Verde, and the Seychelles. To apply, applicants simply need to fill in a form at www.tomtom.com/summer.

Further information and key contacts

For full information about the TomTom study and Map Paradise Project, visit www.map-paradise.tomtom.com or contact Lea Armstrong, 978-405-1840, lea.armstrong@tomtom.com.

About TomTom

Founded in 1991, TomTom (AEX:TOM2) is the world’s leading supplier of in-car location and navigation products and services focused on providing all drivers with the world’s best navigation experience. Headquartered in Amsterdam, TomTom has 3,500 employees and sells its products in over 40 countries.

Our products include portable navigation devices, in-dash infotainment systems, fleet management solutions, maps and real-time services, including the award winning TomTom HD Traffic.

For the world’s most up-to-date route planner, including live traffic information, go to www.tomtom.com/livetraffic.

For further information, please visit www.tomtom.com.

*All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 503 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between April 25, 2012 – May 5, 2012. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all Canadian adults (aged 18+).