A new survey showed that high inflation and COVID-19 are dampening some Canadians' hopes of traveling as the holiday season approaches.

Currently, 77% of 1,001 Canadians surveyed exclusively for Global News in October said they are comfortable traveling within Canada during the holidays, while 55% said the same for international travel.

As for those who are not comfortable traveling, 65% said high hotel and ticket prices, for example, hinder them, and 61% said they either fear contracting COVID-19 or remain concerned about travel restrictions.

The Ipsos survey comes at a time when officials are worried about a potential recession during the winter as respiratory illnesses such as COVID-19 and the flu are expected to spread more widely.

As a result, some Canadians are tempering their travel expectations during the historically busy holiday season, said Sean Simpson, Senior Vice President of Ipsos Public Affairs Canada.

Also, the Ipsos survey, conducted between October 18 and 20, comes as Ottawa warns of a global economic slowdown next year due to rising inflation that reached 6.9% in September. However, Canada is prepared for whatever is thrown at it this winter despite preparing for a “significantly weaker growth,” according to the government’s autumn economic statement released last Thursday.

Meanwhile, COVID-19 continues to spread, with the Canadian Ministry of Health approving a large number of bivalent vaccines designed to reduce the effects of the highly transmissible Omicron subvariants. The World Health Organization is monitoring more than 300 subvariants of Omicron as Canada and other Northern Hemisphere countries enter winter, a season in which respiratory illnesses such as the flu can spread easily.

The Ipsos survey also found that 48% of respondents said they are worried about airport problems, such as lost luggage, which persisted throughout the summer, while 30% said they are uncomfortable with airlines not guaranteeing available seats or specific flights. Furthermore, 31% of Canadians said they are uneasy about political instability in various countries, while 21% fear impractical and unnecessary health regulations.