COVID-19 concerns have also drastically diminished after two years of the pandemic
The war in Ukraine, inflation and the COVID-19 pandemic have not dimmed the desire of Europeans to travel across the continent, shows a report by the European Travel Commission (ETC). The study concentrated on the plans for the upcoming tourist season and it shows that 3 out of 4 Europeans intend to take a trip somewhere outside of their hometown within the next six months.
Holiday travelling is firmly ingrained as a modern European tradition
The travel patterns in terms of destination preferences have not been affected either, with Mediterranean destinations being favoured once again. Spain is the most favoured destination among Europeans travelling abroad between April-September 2022, followed by Italy, France, Greece and Portugal.
Over half (56%) of those who have expressed willingness to go on a trip will visit another European country, while 31% will opt for domestic travel. Across all analysed markets, respondents from Italy, Spain, Poland, the UK, and Germany demonstrate the strongest optimism about taking a trip (>80%).
Although the survey was conducted during the first weeks of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Europeans’ travel sentiment and behaviour have not yet been affected by the conflict. Notably, the Polish, who neighbours Ukraine, maintain a stable, above-European-average travel sentiment. Their planned length of stay and budgets remains consistent with data collected at the same time last year.
Furthermore, interest in Eastern European destinations is unaltered, reflecting the limited impact of the ongoing conflict on intra-European travel to date.
As for the role of COVID-19, which dominated and impacted massively the daily and holiday plans of Europeans in 2020 and 2021, it seems to be taking a backseat this year. Flexibility in cancellation policies (14%) and freedom from restrictions (13%) are now the top factors boosting respondents’ confidence in planning their next trip within Europe.
Getting vaccinated for COVID-19 falls to third place since most Europeans have already taken this precaution.
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