A new survey indicates that despite worries about inflation hitting the travel costs, many more Europeans are preparing to pack their bags in the next six months, with over 52 pc planning to travel twice or more.

A survey by the European Travel Commission says that the appetite for travelling has not taken a hit due to inflation or other inhibiting factors. The survey says that even though 40 pc of Europeans are worried about increasing travel costs in light of the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, yet the appetite for travel among Europeans is growing with 70 pc planning a trip in the next six months.

ETC survey says that this represents a 4 pc increase in just one year. Another positive news is that over half or 52 pc intend to travel at least twice, reflecting a significant pent-up demand for vacationing. Another finding of the survey is that the sentiment for intra-European travel has also been on the rise with 62 pc of respondents planning cross border trips within Europe this autumn and winter, the strongest sentiment for intra-European travel recorded since autumn 2020.

“The tireless efforts of the European travel sector to build back stronger are beginning to bear fruit. While the cost-of-living crisis is another undeniable challenge for tourism in Europe, ETC is heartened to see that travel remains priority for Europeans in the coming months. Now it is of the utmost importance for Europe to ensure a more resilient industry, supporting the digital and environmental transition and putting people at the centre of development,” says Luís Araújo, President of ETC, who is also the CEO of Turismo de Portugal.

The results of the latest survey, the 13th in a series done by ETC, show a 6 pc drop since May 2022 in the number of Europeans stating that the war in Ukraine impeded their original travel plans. Overall, 52 pc of travellers said that the conflict will have no direct effect on their travel plans in the next months.

Similarly, fewer European travellers are likely to be deterred from travelling by Covid-19. Only 5 pc of respondents stated that pandemic-related concerns prevented them from realising a planned trip.

In contrast, concerns related to the cost of travel are on the rise. The possible increase in travel fees now worries 23 pc of European travellers. An additional 17 pc are troubled by the effects of inflation on their personal finances, says the survey.

Travel budgets have remained at the same levels since September 2021, with 32 pc of respondents planning to spend between Eur 501-1000 per person on their next trip, including accommodation and transportation costs. However, Europeans are cutting the duration of their vacations as their money does not stretch as far as it used to a year ago. Preferences for 3-night breaks have increased to 23 pc, up from 18 pc in September 2021, while longer trips of 7 or more nights have dropped to 37 pc, a fall of 9 pc since September 2021, suggesting that travellers are getting less value for their money than they did in September 2021.

Regarding spending by country (per person on a single trip), Germans (57 pc) and Austrians (66 pc) will mostly spend between Eur 501-1000, while the Polish (21 pc), the Dutch (20 pc), and the Swiss (19 pc) are more likely to spend over Eur 2,000 per person.

Another finding of the survey is that the intention to travel is lower among Gen Z (18 to 24 year-olds), with only 58 pc responding positively in contrast to all other age groups, which exceed a 70 pc likeliness to travel. This indicates a more hesitant outlook for younger travellers, which may also be attributed to concerns about personal finances and rising travel costs.

In contrast, Europeans over 45 years old plan to travel the most in the next six months (over 73 pc), expressing an interest in city break journeys and a need to become part of the destination by exploring its culture and history.

Across all age groups, France is the most popular country to visit over the next six months (11 pc), followed by Spain and Italy (both 9 pc). As the weather gets colder, more respondents look to travel to winter destinations such as Germany (7 pc), Croatia (5 pc) and Greece (6 pc).