Parksville a top destination for families, Airbnb data shows
Published 12:30 pm Tuesday, September 29, 2026
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Parksville is a top destination for Canadian families this fall, new data released by Airbnb shows.
Families are searching for “classics” such as well-known resort villages and lake towns, according to a news release by Airbnb, including Parksville.
“A Vancouver Island beach town where the tide goes out for a kilometre, with old-growth Douglas fir trails behind the sand and goats grazing on the roof at Coombs Old Country Market just up the road,” the release said.
Searches among this “classic” destination are up nearly 40 per cent year-over-year, based on Airbnb internal data on quarter two 2026 searches for Sept. 1 to Nov. 30 check-ins.
Also trending in family fall vacations are Invermere, B.C., Gravenhurst, Ont., the Blue Mountains, Ont. and Mont-Tremblant, Que.
Airbnb also looked into where Gen Z is heading out on vacation and found coastlines, escarpments and foothills are pulling these travellers toward small towns such as Colwood, B.C., Cochrane, Alta., South Bruce Peninsula, Ont., Petite-Rivière-Saint-François, Que. and Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia.
Searches for domestic stays are up 25 per cent year over year during the upcoming fall season, Airbnb said, building on a record 2025, as travellers trade city weekends for lakeside cabins and the small towns.
Rural destinations are “having a moment”, according to the release, with Haida Gwaii, Kootenay Boundary and Powell River all showing up as popular destinations in B.C.