Europeans Adapt to the New Normal and Will Spend More on Travel by 2022
Recent statistics from Travellyze, the European travel intelligence platform of ITG, show that mass vaccination levels amongst European travellers is helping with confidence levels of prospective travellers.
Projections also indicate that Europeans will spend more on travel in 2022 than in 2021, mainly due to the lifting of health restrictions in some countries combined with the urge to take advantage of the cancellation bonuses suffered in 2020 before they expire.
Travellyze data also shows that the number of Europeans expecting to spend more on travel has increased by 5.6%, from 7.4% in 2021 to 13% in 2022. In turn, 4 out of 10 will spend between €1,000 and €3,000 on travel. These figures suggest a gradual recovery of the sector in the coming year.
The factors that influence destination choice, i.e. how travellers book and where they stay, are some of the variables that Travellyze analyses when drawing conclusions about the tourism landscape.
With regard to the European market, the platform provides different insights for travel in 2022:
How do European tourists book their trips?
35.3% of Europeans plan to book their trips through a travel comparison site, such as Skyscanner or Trivago, and 33.6% intend to book accommodation directly with the provider.
This direct booking trend has been on the rise since the outbreak of the pandemic two years ago, although travel agencies are still very much alive, with 32% planning to book a package holiday (flight+accommodation) through an online agency, according to Travellyze.
What types of accommodation do European travellers prefer?
53.5% of European travellers surveyed are interested in staying in a three- or four-star hotel for their 2022 trips, compared to 14% who are also considering a five-star establishment. This percentage has also been boosted by the effect of the 2020 cancellation bonuses and forced savings.
What are the factors that influence destination selection?
A logical consequence of the pandemic is the importance given to cleanliness (42.3%), hygiene (41.1%) and safety (40.4%) as priority factors when choosing a destination. There is also a clear preference for outdoor spaces and the possibility of enjoying activities in close contact with nature is of great importance for 37.1% of travellers, while urban experiences are the preferred option for 28.6%.
The desire to avoid, where possible, the inconvenience and environmental impact of flying has made the availability of direct flights a necessity for 36.1% of travellers.
Which media inspires the European traveller?
In terms of sources of inspiration when choosing a holiday destination, recommendations from friends and family always carry a lot of weight for Europeans (74%), followed by searches on metasearch engines such as Google (48%) and recommendations and reviews on Tripadvisor-type websites (72%).
Instagram (36%), Facebook (28%) and YouTube (27%) remain the top social media sources for inspiration, while in offline media, travel TV programmes (33%), travel agency recommendations (30%) and TV advertising (23%) are the main sources of inspiration.
The pandemic has also favoured an increase of more than 60% of influencers and celebrities, blogs and social networks such as TikTok as means of inspiration for the European traveller.
Travellyze, a complete X-ray of the traveller
The Travellyze business intelligence tool is the first platform that manages to obtain a snapshot of the traveller based on surveys that analyse the intention of tourists before they book. In this way, reports are generated with data arranged in three different blocks: demographics, consumer behaviour and perception of the destination. With this information, the intuitive tourism analysis platform makes it possible to create profiles of travellers and their habits, making it easier for tourism marketers to establish strategies and make tactical decisions in an agile way.
