For the 22nd time, Europ Assistance is publishing the vacation barometer, an international study that examines vacation behavior, travel plans and travel trends. Between March 20 and April 7, 2022, 15.000 consumers from 15 countries on three continents were surveyed.
“Austrians’ desire to travel is unbroken. They are even more keen on vacation this summer and are planning to spend more money on it,” explains Wolfgang Lackner, CEO of European Travel Insurance.
78 percent of Austrians plan to go on summer vacation this year
After three years of the pandemic, it is not surprising that the desire to travel is still high. At 78 percent, the number of travelers in Austria is at a very high level and is above the European average (75 percent). Holiday joy is also particularly high in this country: 45 percent are very much looking forward to the holiday, which is 3 percentage points more than in the previous year.
The most popular holiday destination is Italy, followed by Austria in second place
Austrians prefer to travel to Italy (29%), Austria (27%) and Croatia (17%). Almost a third go on holiday in Austria. In comparison, 60 percent of the French and 59 percent of the Italians plan to spend their holidays in their own country. The choice of holiday destination is significantly influenced by budget (53%), climatic conditions (47%) and the range of leisure activities on site (45%).
Travel budget has increased: an average of 2.360 euros is spent on summer vacations
The increased holiday anticipation is also noticeable in the planned holiday budget. While Austrians planned to spend an average of EUR 2022 on their holidays in 2.162, this figure has risen by 9 percent to EUR 2.360 this year and is thus well above the average European budget of EUR 1.918. Only the Americans (2.772 euros), the Australians (2.807 euros), the Germans (2.363 euros) and the Swiss (3.477 euros) are planning a higher budget.
Of those who do not go on vacation, 47 percent say they cannot afford it, and 27 percent want to save because of the current situation. Inflation is the number one concern for travelers in all countries.
