Europe persists as the main choice for long-haul trips in May-August 2023, shows the latest Long-Haul Travel Barometer released on the 1st of June by the European Travel Commission (ETC) and Eurail BV. About half of these Europe’s future visitors will be no strangers to the old country. The tourists’ intention to revisit Europe confirms the region’s reputation as a safe, satisfying destination, that entices them to return. According to the barometer, over 50% of the participants in China, Brazil, Australia, Canada and the US aim to travel overseas. Results are based on 1,000 interviews conducted in the five markets every four months.
The barometer shows that most of the respondents plan on traveling during the peak summer months of July and August, except for China. As for the duration of travel, European Summer trips ranging from one to two weeks are the most sought after (54%). The majority of the participants anticipate spending more than 200€ a day, excluding flight tickets.
1. How are travelers choosing their next holiday destination?
According to UNWTO forecasts, “international tourism is well on its way to returning to pre-pandemic levels, with twice as many people travelling during the first quarter of 2023 than in the same period of 2022. So far, international arrivals have reached 80% of the pre-covid levels.”
However, the global economic landscape, lurching from crisis to crisis (Covid, the war in Ukraine, inflation, the climate, the cost of living), presents ongoing challenges for travelers. Personal finances remain the main deterrent to long-haul travel. With this in mind, tourists are seeking decent value for less budget and opting to travel closer to home. Nevertheless, thirty-one percent of Americans are more interested in international than domestic travel, according to a recent poll by tourism market research firm Destination Analysts.
It is encouraging to see long-haul markets slowly but surely recovering, with China finally open to the world. However, Europe must be wary of other challenges we face as an industry, namely inflation and the cost of living. As we can see from this research, affordability has become a key issue for travellers planning to visit Europe.
Miguel Sanz, ETC’s President
Based on the data from business magazine Forbes, many are choosing to reduce the cost of holidays by saving on their stays in 2023. One and three-star options are up by 20% on Expedia searches. Less expensive restaurants, less budget for shopping activities and affordable all-inclusive packages are some of the other 2023 tourists’ tactics to make traveling more inexpensive.
Alongside with the importance of finding cheaper options, the weather conditions also gain prominence for selecting a holiday (29%). In fact, weather conditions have surpassed the presence of world-renowned landmarks in the criteria for destination selection amongst travelers.
32% of the participants intent to choose their next European holiday spot based on the cost of experiences offered at the destination. The research shows shows that only 15% of the respondents in all markerts consider the importance of visiting destinations that are less crowded, which is surprising.
China and Brazil are the two markets with the highest intent to travel to Europe in the short term. An astonishing 73% of Chinese respondents plan to visit the region over the summer. In Brazil, that translates to 52%. In Australia, Canada and the United States, travelers stay positive on their ambition to adventure to the old country between May-August 2023, with 38%, 37% and 36% respectively.
