Greece High on Wish Lists of Long-Haul Market Travelers, Says ETC

Photo © Greek Travel Pages (GTP)

Greece is on the radar for travelers from long-haul markets making it among the Top 10 preferred destinations in Europe, according to the latest Long-Haul Travel Barometer January-April 2023 released this week by the European Travel Commission (ETC) in collaboration with Eurail BV.

More specifically, travelers from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, US and Japan, name Greece as a Top 10 European destination to visit this year for their holidays.

According to the ETC study, which looks at travel intention in six overseas markets in the first four months of the year, Greece ranks 4th most popular holiday destination for Canadian travelers, 5th for the Australians, 6th for Japanese tourists, 7th for American and Brazilian travelers and 8th for Chinese holidaymakers.

Travel preferences of Canadian respondents. Source: ETC

Greece was among the Top 10 preferred destinations in Europe for travelers in long-haul markets last year also moving up a spot to fourth as a Top 10 preferred country for travel by Europeans.

Desire for overseas travel in 2023

Overall, desire for overseas travel in 2023 has increased in major travel markets compared to 2022, the study found, with more than 60 percent of potential travelers in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China and the US planning to travel overseas this year.

Source: ETC

“A significant development that will surely have a major impact on travel to Europe in the coming year is China’s reopening… This is hopeful news, but still, there remain concerns that in the context of inflationary pressures, personal finances may limit long-haul travel overall,” said ETC President Luís Araújo.

Other key takeaways of the ETC study include:

– personal finances are a main deterrent to long-haul travel in January-April 2023

– good value for money is a top priority for travelers this year

– destinations that have fully lifted travel restrictions may be considered more appealing in 2023

– 63 percent of Chinese travelers are hoping to visit Europe

– 40 percent of US respondents intend to travel outside North America by April 2023, while 33 percent consider Europe as a choice destination up from 23 percent a year ago

– 55 percent of Americans earning 75,000 dollars or more look forward to traveling, compared to just 20 percent of respondents in the other income groups

– 20 percent of Americans are open to solo travel

Travel preferences of American respondents. Source: ETC

– the share of Canadians planning to visit Europe between January and April increased from 15 percent in 2022 to 29 percent in 2023

– 62 percent of Canadians said they will refrain from overseas trips at the beginning of 2023 citing budget.

“ETC is pleased to see that long-haul travel sentiment is proving more positive this year than in 2022… Promoting Europe in overseas markets remains crucial for the sector’s continued recovery in 2023,” Araújo said.