TORONTO, July 21, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly one quarter (23 per cent) of Canadians will not be traveling this summer, with budget concerns keeping them staying close to home, according to the latest consumer trends survey from digital offer website RetailMeNot.ca. The survey revealed that the soaring price of gasoline and accommodation costs are keeping 42 per cent of Canadians away from their dream vacation. Sky-high airfares are a third reason Canadians (37 per cent) are staying home. This explains why only 7 per cent are traveling overseas this summer. In fact, 28 per cent of Canadians plan to limit their spending on summer travel and transportation to $100 or less.

Friends With (Lodging) Benefits
The countrywide survey uncovers several trends, including how Canadians plan to stretch their travel dollars this summer. Thirty eight per cent of Canadians will avoid hotels by staying with family or friends. Nearly 1 in 5 Quebecers (18 per cent) are planning to use hostels, compared with only 2 per cent of the rest of the country. Younger people are more inclined to wait it out and find last-minute deals, a tactic cited by 18 per cent of Canadians 18 to 34 and 9 per cent for those 55 and over.

Cottage Mooching
Canada also loves to cottage, especially Ontarians—and men! In fact, 1 in 5 men surveyed admit to maintaining relationships with family or friends if they have a cottage. This behaviour, known as cottage mooching, increases with age, peaking at 21 per cent for Canadians surveyed 55 and over. Twenty eight per cent of Ontario residents surveyed are planning to take a trip to a cottage for their summer vacation, the highest percentage in the country.

Staying Close to Home
According to the survey, Albertans are staying close to home, with 53 per cent planning a trip inside their province, compared with 42 per cent of those in other provinces. A top desired vacation for Albertans? Camping! Thirty-seven per cent of Albertans plan to pitch a tent in their beautiful province this summer, compared with 23 per cent overall in the rest of Canada. The latest RetailMeNot.ca survey also revealed that Canadians love camping, regardless of income. In fact, 40 per cent of those with an income of $100,000 per year or more say they are heading to the woods this summer.

"Canadians are finding creative ways to enjoy a fun summer holiday without breaking the bank, but our survey shows that only 16 per cent of consumers are using coupon sites to save money on things like rental cars, hotels or airfare," says Christy Rabil, director of public relations for RetailMeNot, Inc. "A few minutes online could mean the difference between couch surfing and stretching out in a king-size bed."

Other survey findings:

• Blowing budget before the trip: Nearly a quarter of women (24 per cent) will spend $100 to $500 on new clothes for a vacation;
• Music to our ears: 30 per cent of people in Atlantic provinces will attend a music festival, versus 20 per cent of other Canadians;
• Foodies: A third (33 per cent) of Ontarians will go to at least one food festival, compared with 14 per cent of the rest of Canada;
• Canadians heart beer: 18 per cent of Canadians will spend $100 to $300 on alcohol during their summer holiday, while 60 per cent will spend under $200 on food;
• Don't blame the boss: Only 12 per cent of Canadians cite lack of vacation days as an impediment to getting away.

RetailMeNot.ca regularly conducts consumer behaviour surveys to examine the spending habits of Canadians.

Facebook: Facebook.com/RetailmenotCanada
Twitter: @retailmenotca

About the Canadian survey:
From July 2 to 3, 2014, an online survey was conducted among 1,004 randomly selected Canadian adults age 18+, who are Angus Reid Forum panelists. The margin of error, which measures sampling variability, is +/- 3.1%, 19 times out of 20. The results have been statistically weighted according to age, gender and region Census data to ensure a representative sample of the adult Canadian population. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.

About RetailMeNot, Inc.
RetailMeNot, Inc. (www.retailmenot.com/corp/) operates the world's largest marketplace for digital offers. The company enables consumers across the globe to find hundreds of thousands of digital offers from their favorite retailers and brands. During the 12 months ended March 31, 2014, RetailMeNot, Inc. experienced more than 590 million visits to its websites. In 2013, RetailMeNot estimates $3.5 billion in its paid retailer sales were attributable to consumer traffic from digital offers in its marketplace. Its mobile apps have been downloaded over 16 million times. The RetailMeNot, Inc. portfolio includes www.RetailMeNot.com, the largest digital offer marketplace in the United States; www.RetailMeNot.ca in Canada; www.VoucherCodes.co.uk, the largest digital offer marketplace in the United Kingdom; www.Deals.com in Germany; www.Actiepagina.nl, a leading digital offer site in the Netherlands; Bons-de-Reduction.com and www.Ma-Reduc.com, leading digital offer sites in France; www.Poulpeo.com, a leading digital offer site with cash back in France; and www.Deals2Buy.com, a leading digital offer site in North America. RetailMeNot, Inc. is listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange under the ticker symbol "SALE." Investors interested in learning more about the company can visit: http://investor.retailmenot.com/.

For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact:

Rachael Collier
Citizen Relations
416 306 6641 office
416 995 1432 mobile
rachael.collier@citizenrelations.com

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