Highlights
- Sentiment for intra-European travel on the rise, according to new report
- Spain, Italy and France ranked in the top 3 most popular destinations, followed by Greece
- The majority of potential travelers value the importance of health protocols in a trip
The ETC’s latest report is based on data collected in December, bringing up-to-date insights on travel preferences of Europeans and the impact of COVID-19 on travel plans.
It shows an increase in the cohort of people intending to travel between April and June, compared to the previous research round, while 52% of respondents stated they plan to take a trip in the next six months.
Meanwhile, intra-European travel appears as the top choice for Europeans, according to the survey (40% of respondents) with domestic travel preference coming second.
The report also reveals the top 10 of most popular country destinations.
Greece occupies the fourth place, with Spain reigning the list, followed by Italy and France.
The authors note that Turkey is the newest entrant, having replaced Austria in the ninth place.
Indications for increased eagerness to travel amongst Europeans come amidst the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines in the continent.
Extract from study on Monitoring Sentiment for Domestic and Intra-European Travel Source: European Travel Commission
Travel sentiment appears heavily reliant on updates around the pandemic, with vaccine developments remaining the most defining.
Confidence in travel is also governed by the destinations’ effectiveness in managing the COVID-19 crisis.
In any case, the majority of respondents (67%) stated supportive of strict health and safety protocols’ application.
“The report proves that strict health and safety protocols build trust and peace of mind and make travel more enjoyable […] Only 22% of Europeans state that such measures can to some degree spoil the travel experience, while another 11% say that it makes no difference to them,” the authors note.
