Europeans are already making their travel plans for the next 12 months and Greece is high on their list.
Research shows that the majority of Europeans prefer trips with a travel time of three hours or less when choosing their holiday destination. Despite this claim, Greece is one of the most popular tourism destinations in Europe.
There are four major markets impacting Greek tourism, these markets are: Germany, France, UK and Spain, and according to INSETE´s latest study, combined they account for more than 40% of inbound tourism revenue in Greece.
The study shows that interestingly, the booking window is high amongst these four main markets and around 70% of the German, British and Spanish tourists, and 60% of the French tourists start planning for their trip up to twelve months in advance.
For the first time, the INSETE study also analysed traveller behaviours such as; Europeans intended travel over the coming months, planned expenses, duration and type of stay amongst other parameters related to specific travel behaviours.
What Europeans think
Whilst it might be true that for Europeans, Greece sits in 5th position for Germans, French and British, and in 7th position when it comes to Spanish tourists, it´s important to note that the countries ahead of Greece in the 3rd and 4th positions are actually ranking 1% or less ahead. When interpreting this data, it´s also important to note that the countries that rank slightly higher than Greece are larger, like France for example, or, they´re much more accessible by road, like travelling to Austria from Germany for example.
Travel time
As previously mentioned, for Europeans, travel of three hours or less is preferable, in fact, data suggests that this is the case for 8 out of 10 Germans, 3/4s of British and French travellers and 78% of Spanish. It is undeniable that quick, easy access to their holiday destination is amongst the top priorities when it comes to booking. However, this does not mean that Greece isn´t still a very popular choice for European holiday makers, highlighting the strength of Greece as a desirable holiday destination amongst European travellers.
Planned expenses
Interestingly, relating to planned expenses during the holiday, the study concludes that in all four focus countries (Germany, France, UK, Spain) increased intended expenditure was 10-20% higher than those intending to spend less.
Despite this, the overwhelming majority of travellers from the four focus markets in the study indicated that they actually intend to spend the same as they would usually spend.
Specifically, 50% of Germans, 47% of French, 51% of UK residents and 44% of Spaniards intend to spent what they usually do, while 31% of Germans, the 29% of the French, 29% of UK residents and 36% of Spaniards intends to spend more.
What do Europeans want from their travels?
71% of UK residents, 58% of Spaniards, 56% of Germans and 55% of French travellers agree that the number one thing they are looking for when they travel is enjoyment and relaxation.
56% of French, 55% of Spanish, 51% of Germans and 50% of UK residents travelling abroad stated that the experience of a new country or culture is the second most important thing they want from their travels.
Perhaps unsurprisingly 51% of British and 45% of German travellers prioritise good weather as something they want during their holidays. And 41% of German travellers also want new and exciting activities from their travel experiences.
Mountain vs Sea
A variety of holiday types stand out in the study, namely coastal holidays, city breaks, rural escapes, visiting attractions, visiting friends and family, and hiking holidays.
Coastal destinations are the preferred choice for 51% of Germans, 40% of British, 31% of French and 24% of Spanish travellers.
German holiday makers also take the lead in terms of their preference for city breaks with the study showing 41% of Germans preferring them compared to 38% of British, 31% of French and 29% of Spanish travellers.
It appears German tourists are also looking to get back to basics with 40% preferring nature related escapes and 29% most interested in hiking holidays.
It´s a close call, but we can conclude that based on the study, we see the type of holiday peoples are looking for really does depend on the country of origin amongst European travellers.
