Tourism: seven in ten Europeans intend to travel during the winter months

The percentage of Europeans planning to travel in the coming months fell slightly, but the percentage concerned about extreme weather conditions doubled. Afraid of going on vacation in the summer, they prefer to spend the “velvet season”, including winter, Christmas and New Year holidays in countries with a warm climate at this time of year.

According to the latest European Travel Commission (ETC) Climate Monitoring report for domestic and intra-European travel by Mindhaus, 68% of Europeans surveyed plan to travel between October 2023 and March 2024. This represents a slight decrease of 2% compared to the same period last year.

However climate conditions are critical to where Europeans choose to travel. Good weather still remains the main criterion for choosing a destinationwhich 19% of respondents named as the most important factor.

At the same time, Europeans are increasingly concerned about the impact of extreme weather events on their travel plans, with 14.2% now citing this as a major concern, up from 7% in the previous survey conducted in May 2023.

Greece
Another conclusion of the study regarding our country is that it remains in fifth place as a direction. The country is preferred by 4.4% of respondents. France is in first place (7.4%), followed by Italy (7.0%), Spain (6.8%) and Germany (5.7%).

However, all five destinations recorded year-on-year declines (France 10.9%, Spain 9.3%, Italy 9.1%, Germany 7.0% and Greece 6.4%). Tourists also adopt a money-saving strategy and travel outside the peak season.

Financial pressure
With travel costs rising, financial pressure is influencing the behavior of European travelers before and during their trips. 22% of respondents cited rising costs as their biggest travel-related concern, while 16% were worried about their personal finances.

However, 71% of Europeans prefer to either maintain or increase their travel spending. The intention to travel multiple times is high (54%) and the number of Europeans planning to spend more than €1,500 per trip has increased significantly (+7%) compared to last year.

But to minimize the impact of financial constraints, travelers prioritize affordability when planning their vacation. 22% of survey respondents interested in traveling during the off-season, 13% are considering visiting more affordable destinations, and another 13% plan to take advantage of booking flights and activities in advance. At the time of the survey, only 22% of travelers had their trip fully booked, and 23% were keeping some transportation or accommodation options open. This may indicate a desire to take advantage of last-minute offers.

Save money
European travelers are also showing great interest in strategies Saving money during your stay in destinations:

• 17% of survey respondents plan to reduce purchases,
• 15% say they will spend less money on accommodation and food,
• 12% plan to use public transport or bike rental services.

Most European travelers are planning either a leisure trip (69%) or to visit family and friends (15%). There has also been a slight increase in business travel, with 8% planning to “travel” through business trips, up 3% from a year ago.

Environmental issues
Environmental concerns may also influence Europeans’ travel choices. Although flying remains the main choice for half of respondents (50%). An increasing number of Europeans are choosing environmentally friendly modes of transport. 17% of European travelers plan to take a train or bus on their next trip, up 5% on the previous year. Meanwhile, the number of travelers planning to travel during their holiday fell by 7%.

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