Summer Plans? Stay Local, Spend Local: Majority of Canadians Intend to Support Small Businesses While Travelling Domestically this Summer
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Almost three-quarters (73%) of Canadians will consider travelling to a destination to visit a unique business or attraction
TORONTO, June 11, 2025 /CNW/ - In this season of economic uncertainty, there's one thing Canadian businesses can undoubtedly look forward to: summer is coming and tourism is trending up.
A recent survey by TD Bank Group found 89% of Canadians feel it's important to support small businesses this summer, with 64% of Canadians planning to travel within Canada in the coming months. The biggest economic boon to small business? The survey found 63% of Canadians will research shops, restaurants, and attractions ahead of time, with 73% considering travel to a destination to visit a unique business or attraction they researched.
TD Economics also projects tourism to outperform other industries in Canada with the boost being fueled by Canadians looking to spend more of their travel dollars at home, and international tourists looking to Canada and other regions for summer vacation.
"It's encouraging to hear that Canadians are planning to support local small businesses as part of their vacation plans this summer, as it helps both entrepreneurs and our local economies," says Julia Kelly, Vice President, Small Business Banking at TD. "It's particularly welcome news, as many of our small business customers have been concerned about consumer spending slowing down."
The survey also showed that Canadians are keen on cottage country, with 46% of Gen Z and 42% of Millennials planning on visiting cottages during their summer vacation. Of those visiting cottages, 96% say they plan to check out local businesses, including restaurants, shops, and marinas.
"We know how important small businesses are to communities across Canada," says Kelly. "At TD, we continue to be inspired by their strength and resilience and we are here to help small business owners with advice and support along their journey."
To learn more about Small Business Banking services provided by TD please visit: https://www.td.com/ca/en/business-banking/small-business
About the survey
The survey was undertaken by The Harris Poll Canada and it ran overnight on May 22nd, 2025, with 1,531 randomly selected Canadian adults who are Maru Voice Canada online panellists. The results have been weighted by age, gender, region, and education (and in Quebec, language) to match the population, according to Census data. This is to ensure the sample is representative of the entire adult population of Canada. For comparison purposes, a probability sample of this size has an estimated margin of error (which measures sampling variability) of ±2.5%, 19 times out of 20. Discrepancies in or between totals when compared to the data tables are due to rounding.
About TD Bank Group
The Toronto-Dominion Bank and its subsidiaries are collectively known as TD Bank Group ("TD" or the "Bank"). TD is the sixth largest bank in North America by assets and serves over 27.9 million customers in four key businesses operating in a number of locations in financial centres around the globe: Canadian Personal and Commercial Banking, including TD Canada Trust and TD Auto Finance Canada; U.S. Retail, including TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank®, TD Auto Finance U.S., and TD Wealth (U.S.); Wealth Management and Insurance, including TD Wealth (Canada), TD Direct Investing, and TD Insurance; and Wholesale Banking, including TD Securities and TD Cowen. TD also ranks among the world's leading online financial services firms, with more than 18 million active online and mobile customers. TD had $2.1 trillion in assets on April 30, 2025. The Toronto-Dominion Bank trades under the symbol "TD" on the Toronto Stock Exchange and New York Stock Exchange.
SOURCE TD Bank Group
