Greece Still a European Favorite Despite Travel Cost Concerns

Greece is among the Top 5 preferred countries for Europeans planning their next trips despite concerns about rising travel costs, the pandemic, and the Russia-Ukraine war, found a report released this week by the European Travel Commission (ETC).

According to the “Monitoring Sentiment for Domestic and Intra-European Travel – Wave 12” report, 73 percent of Europeans are planning to go on a holiday between June and November 2022, 38 percent are hoping to travel twice, and 20 percent more than three times despite inflation and rising travel costs, which have become the main concern among holidaymakers across Europe.

At the same time, more than half (58 percent) of those polled expressed interest in visiting other European destinations, up by 7 percent since last summer.

Greece remains among top popular travel destinations

Greece (6.6 percent) is a favorite holiday spot yet again. In the lead is Spain (10.2 percent), France (10.1 percent), Italy (9.6 percent) followed by Greece, and Croatia (5.6 percent), which entered the Top 5 for the first time.

Other preferred countries for Europeans’ next international trip are Germany (5.2 percent), Portugal (4.9 percent), Turkey (4.0 percent), Austria (3.2 percent), and Belgium (2.7 percent).

More specifically, Greece is among the Top 5 travel destinations for German, UK, French, Polish, Austrian and Italian travelers but has not made it into the leading preferences of travelers from the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland and Spain.

According to the findings, most Europeans are planning on traveling in June and July (41 percent), or August-September (42 percent), with the majority staying for about four to nine nights.

Destination decisions take into consideration weather, attractive deals and fewer crowds.

Top interests include spending time in nature (19 percent), gastronomy (16 percent), and immersing into local lifestyle (16 percent).

“It is encouraging to see the travel sector in Europe rebound strongly, providing optimism for an exciting summer for European destinations,” said ETC President Luís Araújo.

He went on to add however that challenges remain. “In addition to rising inflation, there is an acute talent shortage across the sector in the wake of the pandemic. This is perhaps most visible in transportation hubs, which are struggling to cater to the increased demand due to a lack of staff. Building this capacity back again is imperative. ETC calls on the EU and European governments to reflect on how best to address these challenges and support the sector.”

Lastly, the report found that insecurity about personal finances among Europeans has grown by 7 percent since last summer (13 percent in summer 2022, 6 percent in summer 2021). 

The ETC’s previous “Monitoring Sentiment for Domestic and Intra-European Travel – Wave 11” report released in April 2022 can be found here.