Extra Europeans Plan to Journey, However Taking Fewer Journeys

• 75% of Europeans plan to journey within the coming months, up 6% from final 12 months.
• Mediterranean locations high the record for European travellers as holidaymakers go for solar and seaside journeys.
• The variety of Europeans flying to their locations will increase by 5%, although driving remains to be favoured by 28% of travellers.

The most recent report from the European Journey Fee (ETC), ‘Monitoring Sentiment for Intra-European Journey – Wave 19,’ reveals a notable surge in journey curiosity amongst Europeans for June-November 2024, marking a 6% improve in comparison with final 12 months. This brings the proportion of respondents planning a visit to 75%. The rise is especially pushed by excessive wanderlust amongst Spanish, Italian and British travellers. In all three of those international locations, eight out of ten survey respondents reported intention to journey throughout this era.

The research additionally reveals that 36% of Europeans plan to take one journey within the subsequent months, a rise of 6% from the earlier 12 months. One other 33% will take a second journey, whereas solely 24% plan to take three or extra journeys, maybe indicating that monetary pressures proceed to affect travellers’ behaviour.

Commenting on the findings, Miguel Sanz, President of ETC, stated: ‘Publish-Covid journey developments look like solidifying, offering some a lot welcome stability for the tourism business. A number of key European journey markets are displaying sturdy enthusiasm for the upcoming months. Now is an effective time for locations to take inventory of this ‘new regular,’ which incorporates issues about excessive prices and unfavourable climate, in addition to journey planning carried out predominantly on digital platforms. It will allow tourism professionals to tailor their choices to long-term developments in traveller behaviour and extra successfully promote accountable tourism practices.’

Southern Europe stays high trip selection

As summer season arrives, there stays a robust demand for Southern locations, with most European travellers (45%) selecting hotter places for his or her subsequent holidays. Curiosity in Europe’s South is steady in comparison with 2023 however is down 10% from 2022. In the meantime, Western (18%) and Northern (13%) locations proceed to see sturdy demand. Spain and Italy are the highest decisions, every most popular by 8% of respondents, adopted by France at 7% and Greece at 6%.

This may be partly defined by travellers’ stable desire for solar and seaside journeys, with 19% selecting this as their most popular kind of vacation for the subsequent six months. Different travellers opted for tradition and heritage holidays (17%), nature and open air journeys (14%) and metropolis breaks (13%).

The notion of a vacation spot’s security (16%) is crucial issue for travellers choosing a vacation spot, adopted by nice climate (13), bargains (11%), pleasant locals and steady temperatures (each 8%).

Peak journey durations are nonetheless fashionable with European holidaymakers. Most travellers surveyed intend to make a journey in the summertime months: 45% will journey in June and July, and 39% go for August and September. Solely 12% purpose to journey in October and November, suggesting that the heatwaves and overcrowding which impacted components of Europe in the summertime of 2023 aren’t closely affecting this 12 months’s plans.

Extra Europeans take to the skies

Air journey is the most well-liked mode of transport for inter-European journeys. Flights are favoured by over half (54%) of Europeans, up 5% from final 12 months. This may be partly defined by absolutely restored air connectivity and the provision of low-cost flights to a various vary of locations throughout Europe. Travellers from the UK (73%), Spain (68%) and Italy (62%) are most definitely to fly to their subsequent vacation locations.

Driving to a vacation vacation spot is the second hottest choice, with 28% of respondents selecting to journey by automobile – minor decline from 2023 (30%). This pattern is especially sturdy amongst Germans (40%), Belgians (38%) and Austrians (35%). Journey by prepare stays steady at 10%.

‘New regular’: Monetary constraints, climate worries, and digital decision-making

The largest issues for travellers in summer season and autumn 2024 embody excessive journey prices (21%, down 3% from final 12 months), private funds (16%), and geopolitical points (11% fear in regards to the Russia-Ukraine warfare and 10% about tensions within the Center East). Excessive climate and transport disruptions are additionally important issues for 10% of Europeans desirous to journey within the subsequent months.

Since this 12 months, the survey additionally delves deeper into the affect of local weather occasions on traveller’s decisions. 76% of respondents report adjusting their journey habits in accordance with local weather change. 17% stated they are going to keep away from locations with excessive temperatures, a determine that rises to 32% for over 55-year-olds, indicating older travellers are essentially the most involved about dealing with hovering temperatures. Total, 16% of travellers favor locations with steady climate, 15% monitor climate forecasts, and 11% select actions not depending on the climate.

Almost all European travellers use digital sources for his or her journey plans, on-line engines like google and journey web sites being the most well-liked. Regardless of some journey corporations introducing synthetic intelligence (AI) instruments of their apps, solely 6% of holidaymakers say they use AI-based instruments for his or her planning. Early adopters of AI might be primarily discovered among the many youthful era: 42% of travellers utilizing AI apps for itinerary planning, and 35% of these using AI platforms for journey functions, are aged 25-34.

The total abstract report might be downloaded from: https://etc-corporate.org/studies/monitoring-sentiment-for-intra-european-travel-summer-autumn24/