Europeans Eager to Get Traveling, Aiming for May-July

Locked up for months due to Covid-19 containment measures, Europeans are looking to go on vacation early this summer, according to the latest report released by the European Travel Commission (ETC).

More than half (54 percent) of Europeans are aiming to travel either domestically or to another European country before the end of July, according to this month’s “Monitoring Sentiment for Domestic and Intra-European Travel – Wave 5″ with data collected in January 2021. 

The report found that 1 in 3 Europeans believe that May-July is the most feasible period for their next trip.

The top 5 markets which are most likely to travel in the next six months include Poland, Italy, Belgium, Spain and Austria.

Greece remains among preferred countries for next trip

According to the ETC’s “Wave 5” report, Greece is in the top 5 destinations preferred by European travelers for their next trip in Europe. First is Spain with 10.2 percent, followed by Italy (7.8 percent), France (6.5 percent), Greece (6.1 percent) and Germany (5.2 percent). Portugal, the UK, Turkey, Croatia and the Netherlands complete the top 10 list.

Other key takeaways: 

– 69 percent of poll participants said that they will feel safer and more relaxed if destinations have strict health and safety protocols in place

– 21 percent said protocols may “to some extent” spoil the travel experience

– 15 percent of Europeans wishing to travel are concerned about being required to quarantine and rising Covid-19 cases at destinations 

– 11 percent said that effective Covid-19 vaccine campaigns would play a significant role in their decision to travel, followed by a destination’s effectiveness in managing the health crisis (11 percent), and coronavirus testing prior to departure (10 percent)

– destinations offering sun and beach holidays are high in demand with travelers from the UK, France, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria more enthusiastic about planning a coastal getaway

– 34 percent are hoping to take their next trip between May-July

– 41 percent of respondents said they wish to travel to another European country against 35 percent who still prefer to travel domestically.

Lastly, confidence in air travel is gradually improving with 54 percent of Europeans planning to take a plane up from 49 percent in September.