Despite the ongoing war in Ukraine, the data has shown that travel preference for Eastern European destinations continues to remain the same as in 2021.
The latest report published by the European Travel Commission (ETC) reveals that with the approaching summer period, Europeans’ interest in Mediterranean destinations peaks.
Around 77 per cent of Europeans have already made travel plans between April and September 2022. Over half of them, 56 per cent, plan to visit another European country, and another 31 per cent choose domestic travel, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
This means that even though there were some uncertainties regarding the EU travel and tourism recovery, the current situation in Ukraine has not affected the travellers’ desire to visit another country.
“New uncertainties on the horizon, namely the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the rising cost of living, are presenting challenges for the travel sector. However, ETC is pleased to see that in spite of these uncertainties, appetite for travel is still on the rise, and the European tourism sector remains resilient,” the President of ETC, Luís Araújo, said.
It has been explained that across the markets that have been analysed, respondents from five countries – Italy, Spain, Poland, the UK, and Germany – demonstrate the strongest optimism to take a trip this summer. As for the travel intentions, it has been revealed that they increase with age, rising from 69 per cent among those between 18 and 24 years old to 83 per cent among those over the age of 54.
Apart from the above-mentioned ETC shows that the top three preferred countries for Europeans’ next international trip are Spain, Italy, and France. These destinations are followed by Greece, Portugal, Croatia, Germany, Turkey, the UK, and the Netherlands.
In addition, the results confirm that EU citizens’ travel plans follow a seasonal pattern. Twenty-two per cent of the respondents prefer sun and beach holidays. Another 15 per cent prefer city breaks, and another 15 per cent prefer vacations by the water or coast.
As for the COVID-19 concerns, ETC has shown that they have started to diminish as the majority of the European countries have already relaxed or dropped their entry restrictions. Only 17 per cent of the respondents said that they are worried about quarantine measures when reaching another country during the summer holidays, and another 15 per cent are afraid of possible changes in travel restrictions.
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