This year, folks will largely favour Canadian metropolitan areas known for nightlife and beautiful outdoor activities, including Vancouver, Halifax and Toronto. There are also several US border cities that make the list, including New York, Chicago and Boston, as many travelers are taking advantage of the dollar being on par with the United States dollar.
This year, folks will largely favour Canadian metropolitan areas known for nightlife and beautiful outdoor activities, including Vancouver, Halifax and Toronto. There are also several US border cities that make the list, including New York, Chicago and Boston, as many travelers are taking advantage of the dollar being on par with the United States dollar.
Put into place as an official holiday by Prime Minister John Thompson on July 23, 1894, Labour Day is one of the oldest holidays. Its origins are linked to a Toronto Typographical Union's strike in protest over a 58-hour work-week, which took place on December 1872. This strike sparked movements by other unions throughout Canada as workers fought for a more balanced working life. Nowadays, the holiday marks the unofficial end of summer, with many people using the long weekend to take one more vacation, and to visit family and friends.
The most popular Labour Day destination is Vancouver, a city known for its outdoor activities, and this year, for its great travel deals as well. Also known for its great outdoors, Halifax comes in third on the list and Toronto, the birthplace of Labour Day, comes in fourth. New York and Boston, where Americans first celebrated their version of the holiday in the late 1800s, are second and fifth, respectively. Rounding out the latter part of the top 10 list are Chicago, Ottawa, Calgary, Montreal and Minneapolis.
No matter what Canadians are looking for during the Labour Day weekend, this list is filled with destinations that offer more value-on-the-dollar, great weather and an abundance of entertainment options.
The 10 most popular Labour Day weekend destinations by bookings and average nightly hotel prices for each are listed below:
Destination |
Average Price/Night on Hotwire |
1. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
$102 |
2. New York City, New York |
$178 |
3. Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada |
$105 |
4. Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
$92 |
5. Boston, Massachusetts |
$137 |
6. Chicago, Illinois |
$115 |
7. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
$84 |
8. Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
$82 |
9. Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
$108 |
10. Minneapolis, Minnesota |
$61 |
"Whether you're looking for history and culture, the beauty of the outdoors, an exciting nightlife or family fun, all of the cities on this list are excellent locales for the last long weekend of summer," said Pierre-Etienne Chartier, vice president of the Hotwire® Group. "With Labour Day coming up in just a few weeks, take advantage of the holiday to add one more getaway to your schedule and be sure to check Hotwire to score great discounts and stretch your vacation dollar that much further."
The 10 most popular Labour Day weekend destinations and average prices are based on hotel bookings made on Hotwire.com between June 15 and August 1, 2012 for travel between August 30 and September 4, 2012.