Weather plays a central role in shaping travel plans according to survey data
68% of Europeans intend to travel between October 2023 and March 2024, with Greece being their fifth most popular destination during this period.
This conclusion comes from the latest rolling report of the European Travel Commission (ETC) “Monitoring Sentiment for Domestic and Intra-European Travel”. As reported by tornosnews.gr, the responses of the Europeans who participated in the survey were collected in September 2023. The survey is being conducted in Germany, the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, Poland and Austria. In the previous survey 70% of Europeans intended to take a trip in the next six months.
The ten most popular European destinations are:
1. France 7.4%
2. Italy 7%
3. Spain 6.8%
4. Germany 5.7%
5. Greece 4.4%
6. Austria 3.8%
7. Croatia 3.7%
8. Czech Republic 3.7%
9. Portugal 3.7%
10. United Kingdom 3.2%
Respondents from Spain and Italy are the most keen to travel, with 75% likely to take a trip before March 2024. Enthusiasm is also high among British and Polish survey respondents (73%).
The majority of European travelers plan either a leisure trip (69%) or plan to visit family and friends (15%). There is also a slight increase in business travel, with 8% planning to travel for work, up 3% from a year ago.
How does financial cost affect travelers?
Amid rising travel costs, financial pressures are affecting the behavior of European travelers before and during their trips. 22% of respondents cited rising costs as their biggest concern about travel, while 16% were worried about their personal finances. In order to minimize the effects of financial constraints, travelers place great importance on affordability when planning vacations.
22% of survey respondents are interested in off-season travel, 13% are considering visiting more budget-friendly destinations and a further 13% plan to take advantage of early flight and activity bookings. At the time of the survey, only 22% of travelers had fully booked their trip, with 23% leaving some of their transport or accommodation options open. This may indicate a desire to take advantage of last-minute offers.
European travelers are also showing great interest in money-saving strategies while in their destinations. 17% of survey respondents plan to cut back on shopping, 15% say they will spend less on accommodation and food, and 12% plan to take advantage of public transport or bike rental services.
Despite these economic concerns, Europeans still have a great enthusiasm for travel. 71% plan to maintain or increase their usual travel budget in the coming months. 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.
Weather plays a central role in shaping travel plans
Climatic conditions are factored into European travelers’ choice of destination. Pleasant weather continues to be the top criterion for choosing a destination, cited by 19% of respondents as the most important factor.
Europeans are now more concerned about the impact of extreme weather on their travel plans. 14% now cite this as their main concern, a 7% increase from the previous survey conducted in May 2023.
Environmental concerns may also influence Europeans’ choice of transport while travelling. Although flying remains the top choice for half of respondents (50%), a growing number of Europeans are choosing greener modes of transport. 17% of European travelers plan to take a train or bus on their next trip, a remarkable 5% increase on the previous year. Meanwhile, the number of travelers planning to drive during their vacation has fallen by 7%.
