Solar eclipse 2024: Travellers kick off Canadian tourism boom for ‘once in a generation’ solar eclipse April 8
Flight and hotel prices surge as families, friends bond over historic event
Forget city monuments, affordable transit, or rising leisure time. There’s nothing quite like the rare solar eclipse to set off a tourism boom — and right now, as people gather together to honour the historic event, Canada is profiting big time.
On April 8, the country is set to see a spike in travellers who will be heading to the path of totality (the part of the earth that will fall under the moon’s shadow) where they’ll be able to best see the solar eclipse. The path will hit parts of Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and, finally, Newfoundland and Labrador.
Canada last experienced a total solar eclipse in 1979, so for locals or those who only need to make a short drive for a solid view, it’s an especially exciting time.
“It's significant for the very reason that it only happens in a particular location once in a generation,” explains Tracy Webb, an associate professor of physics at McGill University. “So, it really is a rare event just in terms of timescales.”
It's significant for the very reason that it only happens in a particular location once in a generation.
Best Canadian cities to see solar eclipse April 8
Many of the key cities on the path — including Kingston — have reported seeing a rise in hotel occupancy for the big day, with travellers heading to Niagara Falls expected to spend at least $1,000 per night for a room if they haven’t booked already.
In fact, travel booker Kayak reported a 304-per-cent increase in flight searches and 15 times more hotel searches for the dates around the eclipse compared to the same time last year.
Montreal came out as one of the cheapest cities to book along the path and for renting a car. And yes, you can expect traffic delays, road closures, and pricey parking just about everywhere. However, many cities are encouraging locals to take public transit; Kingston, for example, will be offering free transit all day.
Earlier this month, too, Airbnb data revealed a whopping 300-per-cent increase in searches for stays along the path of totality in Canada. The home-share network also reported seeing over 1,000 new hosts across North America to meet demand. It’s worth noting that Airbnb’s listings outnumber hotels by more than 18 times along the path in Canada, with guests wanting backyards and private spaces to comfortably watch the eclipse with family and friends. The Canadian cities seeing the majority of bookings are Montreal and Niagara Falls.
Canadians planning day trips to Niagara Falls, Hamilton to witness 'amazing,' 'once in a generation' solar eclipse on April 8
For Toronto tech entrepreneur — and massive astronomy fan since childhood — Algis Akstinas, this made a one-day family road trip to nearby Niagara Falls the only option. A group of his friends will meet the family there, they’ll explore the area, and have lunch just before the eclipse.
This isn’t Akstinas’s first solar eclipse; he’s caught a few partial ones, and a full one in 2017 in Oregon. He learned a lot from those experiences, and this time around plans to leave extra early in the morning to avoid as much traffic as possible, and head out the second the eclipse wraps.
“Looking up the next eclipse, I was surprised to discover it is so close to home,” he said. “I’ve been excited about it since then.” He’s ensured he’ll be on the path of totality, with stars visible in the sky, and his family beside him this time.
In anticipation of travellers like Akstinas, Canadian cities have been working overtime the last few weeks to install new, thorough safety measures. For instance, Niagara Falls, which is anticipating over 1 million visitors on the day — potentially the biggest in its history — will be boosting internet service ahead of a possible system crash.
We're all looking forward to the road trip because it's given us a chance to forget about work for the day and get together.
Inderpreet Kaur Gill, a Toronto-based student, is also road-tripping, to Hamilton with a group of friends. With plans to potentially move out of Toronto after the summer, the solar eclipse presented an ideal opportunity for getting together one last time. As a British Columbia native, it’s also a chance for Gill to see a part of Ontario she hasn’t before.
“We're all looking forward to the road trip because it's given us a chance to forget about work for the day and get together,” Gill said. “With our busy schedules and lives, it's proven to be difficult to find a time to meet for dinner, but when it came to planning this trip to see the solar eclipse, it was a no-brainer.”
The group plan to load up their rented car with snacks, make a few pit-stops, and arrive early. Gill has accounted for not only car reservation or route mishaps, but for how long it might take to find parking and walk to a prime viewing area. After the eclipse, they’ll have dinner, chat about what they saw, and update their Instagram feeds.
“If we're taking the day off work to see the solar eclipse, we're not messing around — we're going to do it right,” she said. “I don't want to miss out on any opportunity to make memories with my friends.”
How long will the solar eclipse last?
You might be wondering: Why would so many people decide to book an overpriced hotel room or road-trip down an endlessly congested highway essentially just to look up at the sky for a few minutes?
“It’s an amazing scientific event in the sense that you're seeing the universe in action,” Webb explains. “The moon and sun are always moving around the sky, the stars rise and set; we understand why all those motions happen and how they happen. But the fact that we can predict that — at this minute — the moon is going to move in front of the sun and we can watch it happen really brings home to everyone that science actually works.”
