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Singles Day — the 11.11 shopping festival — is the single biggest 24-hour online sale on the planet. In 2023, Alibaba and JD.com combined cleared more than US$130 billion in a single day. Now travel brands are increasingly joining in, which means Canadian travellers have a new reason to pay attention to November 11.
Here's what Singles Day is, why it's becoming a travel-sale moment, and how to shop smart from Canada.
What Is Singles Day?
Singles Day started in 1993 as an "anti-Valentine's Day" among four students at Nanjing University in China. They picked November 11 (11.11) because each "1" looked like a bare stick — Chinese slang for being single. The idea was to celebrate being unattached instead of coupled up.
In 2009, Alibaba turned that student holiday into a shopping event. Within a decade, 11.11 outgrew Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined. Today JD.com, Alibaba, and dozens of international brands run multi-day campaigns that peak on November 11.
Why Travel Brands Are In
For years, Singles Day was mostly about electronics, fashion, and beauty. That changed as Asian travel platforms like Agoda, Klook, and Traveloka started running 11.11 flight and hotel sales — and the pattern spread. Travellers now expect deposit-and-pay-later packages, hotel discounts, and bundled fare + accommodation deals around November 11.
For Canadians, 11.11 falls neatly between Thanksgiving in October and Black Friday in late November, which makes it a quiet planning window before the Christmas-break rush. If you're booking a sun escape or a 2027 spring trip, this is often when the first real discounts of the season appear.
What to Look For on 11.11 This Year
Not every travel sale is actually a sale. Here's what separates a real 11.11 travel deal from a sticker-price repackage:
- A locked-in departure window. Real deals specify travel dates (e.g. "depart by March 31, 2027") rather than open-ended "from $X" wording.
- Deposit + pay-later options. One of the hallmarks of 11.11 travel deals is being able to lock a price now and pay the balance closer to departure.
- Bundled savings. Flight-plus-hotel packages usually beat booking each separately on the sale day.
- App or loyalty bonuses. Many international brands stack an additional 5% on top for app bookings or loyalty members.
Also useful: a lot of Canadian travellers use 11.11 as a research day. Even if you don't book, it's a chance to compare what dates and destinations are being promoted for winter and spring, before Black Friday noise drowns everything out.
Destinations That Tend to See 11.11 Discounts
Based on past Singles Day campaigns from international travel brands, the destinations most often discounted in a Canadian context are:
- Mexico — all-inclusive resorts in Cancun, Riviera Maya, and Punta Cana typically lead the deals. See our all-inclusive resort deals.
- Caribbean islands — Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Cuba all commonly feature.
- Southeast Asia — because 11.11 is Asia-born, flights and hotels in Thailand, Vietnam, and Bali often see the deepest cuts for Canadians willing to book a longer trip.
- European city breaks — London, Lisbon, and Barcelona tend to appear in the shoulder-season flight sales.
How to Shop ShopTravel for Singles Day
If you're planning to shop 11.11 from Canada, a few habits help:
- Pre-research before November 11. Shortlist 2–3 destinations and your dates so you can act fast on sale day.
- Check prices on November 10. That way you'll know a real discount when you see it.
- Have your passport ready. Expiring in the next 6 months? Renew before you book anything international.
- Book early in the day. Inventory on the best packages tends to disappear within the first few hours.
Browse ShopTravel vacation packages →
Singles Day isn't just a Chinese shopping event anymore — it's a global sale window, and Canadian travellers who plan ahead can use it to lock in winter and spring 2027 trips at a real discount.
Frequently asked questions
What is Singles Day in 2026?
Singles Day — also written as 11.11 or Double 11 — is a global shopping festival held on November 11 each year. In 2026, it falls on Wednesday, November 11. It started in China in 1993 as an "anti-Valentine's Day" for single people and was turned into a shopping event by Alibaba in 2009. It is now the single biggest 24-hour online sale in the world.
Do Canadian travel brands run Singles Day sales?
Yes, Canadian travel brands increasingly run promotions around November 11, though it is still less established than Black Friday or Boxing Day. International travel platforms like Agoda and Klook have run 11.11 flight and hotel sales for years, and Canadian booking sites like ShopTravel often align promotions with the same window.
Are Singles Day travel deals actually cheaper than Black Friday?
Sometimes. Because 11.11 falls before Black Friday, the first wave of winter and spring travel discounts often appears on Singles Day. The absolute lowest fares occasionally land on Black Friday or Cyber Monday instead. If you have flexible dates, comparing both windows is the safest approach.
Why is November 11 called Singles Day?
The date was chosen because each digit in 11.11 looks like a vertical stick, which is Chinese slang for being single or unattached. Four students at Nanjing University coined it in 1993 as a day to celebrate being single rather than coupled up on Valentine's Day.
What travel destinations usually go on sale for Singles Day?
For Canadian travellers, the destinations most commonly discounted on 11.11 are Mexico (Cancun, Riviera Maya, Punta Cana), Caribbean islands (Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Cuba), Southeast Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, Bali), and European city-break destinations like London, Lisbon, and Barcelona.
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