Headline. This report Unless labelled otherwise the data in this report is taken from Flash Eurobarometer 370, Attitudes of Europeans Towards Tourism.

Transcription

1 Travel insights

2 Headline This report Unless labelled otherwise the data in this report is taken from Flash Eurobarometer 370, Attitudes of Europeans Towards Tourism. The survey was carried out by TNS Political & Social at the request of the European Commission. Fieldwork was carried out between 24th and 30th January 2013 amongst 30,628 respondents aged 15 in 27 EU member states and in seven additional countries: Croatia, Turkey, Macedonia, Iceland, Norway, Serbia and Israel. Respondents, who were from different social and demographic groups, were interviewed via telephone (landline and mobile phone) in their mother tongue.

3 Welcome aboard Sun and beach top the list of what we want from our holidays. Spain is Europe s favourite holiday destination. It delivers well on both of these attributes and also has a developed tourism infrastructure to support the high levels of demand from visitors from many different markets. Satisfaction is high: with the landscape, weather, accommodation and the welcome we receive. What we want from a holiday may not be changing radically, but our route to market is. Three times as many people use the Internet as those who book over the counter at a travel agency. Internet penetration in Europe is still on a growth trajectory suggesting that this channel will increase in importance, but the traditional travel agency approach continues to service the needs of certain types of travellers and for specific types of holidays. Holiday spending is very sensitive to economic wellbeing. Three in five people are cutting back in response to the economic recession. For the most part they are not cancelling their holiday, but going away for less time, spending less and often opting for cheaper destinations TNS 3

4 One billion leisure travellers Europeans currently take around 1 billion holiday trips each year, seven times the number of business trips. While the number of holiday trips has remained at a similar level in the last few years, the number of nights spent away from home on holiday has decreased. The economic downturn since 2008 has resulted in a marked reduction in the number of work-related trips and indeed overnight stays on business trips. 1bn leisure travellers every year 150m business trips per year Source: Eurostat: Tourism in Europe, Results for 2011 issue no. 28/2012. Base: leisure travellers 4 Travel insights

5 Travelling types 7 in 10 Europeans travelled away from home for at least one night in Economic prosperity explains much, but not all of the variation between countries with 75-90% of residents of more affluent Northern Europe being travellers compared to 50-70% of residents of Southern Europe. Some differences between countries cannot be wholly explained by relative income levels however Slovenes and Romanians appear to be enthusiastic travellers but Belgians, Portuguese and Spaniards are more inclined to stay at home. Furthermore, the flight to the sun is a major factor behind Northern Europeans travelling. Travelling by income level GDP per capita in PPS 140 Belgium Denmark Sweden 120 France Portugal Hungary Greece Czech Republic Slovenia 60 Latvia % of population who travelled in 2012 Source of GDP data: Eurostat. PPS (Purchasing Power Standards) is expressed relative to the position EU = 100. The travel data is from Attitudes of Europeans Towards Tourism, Flash Eurobarometer March 2013 Base: all travellers in EU TNS 5

6 Beach and sun top the holiday charts Enjoying sunny weather on a beach is the most popular reason to go on holiday. It has universal appeal and is not just a reaction to the colder climates of Northern and Eastern Europe. Residents of Mediterranean countries such Greece, Portugal, Spain and Italy regard this as their main reason for going on holiday. Visiting friends and family comes a close second and is given as a reason more often by women (40%) than men (33%). Main reasons for going on holiday % Sun/beach 40 Visiting family / friends / relatives 36 Nature (mountain, lake, landscape etc) 26 Culture (religious, culinary, arts etc) City trips Wellness/spa/ health treatment Sport-related Base: EU 27 countries all those taking a holiday for a minimum 4 consecutive nights in Max. 3 answers. 6 Travel insights

7 Beach, sun, friends and family are the headline story, but country curiosities lie behind the big picture. Culture has holiday appeal for over a third of Belgians and Dutch, almost twice the percentage of Britons who list culture as a reason for going on holiday (18%). Only 15% of Latvians are interested in beach and sun but 37% go on holiday to health spas. Main reasons for going on holiday in 2012 Sun/beach Portuguese 56% Greeks 50% City trips Italians 27% Finns 27% Events Irish 15% Latvians 15% Culture Belgians 35% Dutch 33% Family & friends France 45% Sports activities Czechs 24% Health spas Latvians 37% Mountains, lakes Dutch 42% Base: EU 27 countries all those taking a holiday for a minimum 4 consecutive nights in Max. 3 answers TNS 7

8 Foreign holidays: first choice for 2013 One of the most interesting variations across Europe is the extent to which certain nationalities prefer to holiday in their own country whether this be for economic or cultural reasons or a recognition that their own country offers everything that they are looking for in a holiday destination. For that reason, it is probably not surprising that the higher levels of domestic holiday taking are amongst residents of Greece, Italy, Turkey and Spain each one, an established holiday destination for visitors from the rest of Europe. On the other side of the coin, there are a number of push factors which encourage residents of other European countries to holiday elsewhere within Europe the demand for sunny weather, the small size of the country and also the financial ability to purchase holidays abroad. Holidays planned at the start of % 41% in another country in own country Base: the 72% of EU 27 respondents who planned to take holidays during Nb. 13% answered don t know to the question about main holiday 8 Travel insights

9 Spain is our favourite destination Spain is the most popular destination for those who planned a holiday abroad in Britons, Scandinavians and Germans are particularly smitten no doubt by the fact that Spain has twice as many sunshine hours as their own country and a wellestablished tourism infrastructure. Proximity is also an important factor in holiday choice: Belgians holiday in France, Germans holiday in Austria and Austrians holiday in Italy. Most popular holiday destinations 2013 % who planned to visit these countries Spain 12% Italy 8% France 7% UK 4% Germany 4% Austria 4% Greece 4% Croatia 3% Base: the 72% of EU 27 respondents who planned to take holidays during TNS 9

10 What type of accommodation do we use on holiday? Commercial accommodation, be it in hotels, villas or in apartments is universally popular on holidays of 4 nights or more. However, residents of different countries had some particular favourites. In Netherlands, for example, 30% stayed on a camp site. Over 40% of Greeks, Czechs and Slovaks stayed in a second home whereas the figure for the UK was just 14%. Type of accommodation stayed in for a minimum of 4 consecutive nights % 69 In paid accommodation (hotel/apartment etc) 45 At friends or relatives 23 In second home 17 Another type of accommodation 14 On a camping site Base: EU respondents who travelled at least one night in Travel insights

11 Three in four planned a 2013 holiday Three in four of us planned to have a holiday in Holiday expectations link strongly to economic prosperity. 25% or more of citizens from Scandinavia, Benelux, Germany, France and the UK planned a holiday of more than 13 consecutive nights, twice as many as for Greece, Portugal, Spain and the Baltic countries. Planned duration of 2013 holidays % nights away nights away 29 Up to 3 nights away 16 No trip at all 10 Yet to decide Base: all EU 27 respondents. Question was Which of the following holidays do you plan to take (in 2013)? 2013 TNS 11

12 Recommendations guide holiday choice Personal recommendations are more influential in our holiday planning than either the internet or personal experience. This has always been the case but the digital revolution has further enhanced the importance of word of mouth. In addition to receiving face-to-face recommendations, these can now be browsed online via social media sites such as Facebook and TripAdvisor. Not surprisingly, the younger you are, the more likely you are to place most emphasis on word of mouth recommendations. Most used sources of information for holiday planning % Recommendations (friends/colleagues/ relatives) 56 Internet 46 Personal experience 34 Travel agencies/ tourism offices 21 Free brochures 11 Radio, TV, newspaper 9 Social media 5 Base: all EU 27 respondents 12 Travel insights

13 Internet booking preferred Home internet access rose from 42% in 2006 to 68% in 2013* and it is still in a growth trajectory. Consequently, it is no surprise that more and more travellers use the Internet to book holidays (53%). The one notable year on year change from 2012 was the decline in booking over the counter at a travel agency, which fell from 23% to 19%. Interestingly, despite the growing importance of the Internet over the last 10 years, it is significant that 1 in 5 continue to make use of the services of a travel agent to book holidays. Methods used to book holidays 68% Have home internet access in % 21% Internet Through someone you know 19% Phone 19% Over the counter at a travel agency 11% On-site (place of holiday) *Source: E-Communications Household Survey, Feb-Mar 2013, Special Eurobarometer 396 Base: the 69% of EU 27 respondents who went on a personal holiday of 4 nights or more during TNS 13

14 Impact of the economic downturn One in three have changed their 2013 plans because of the economic situation Has the current economic situation had an impact on your holiday plans for 2013? % 13 No, it has not changed my holiday plans Yes, I will go but spend less Yes, I will go for a shorter period Yes, I will go but I changed my destination 22 Yes, and I will not go on holiday this year Base: all EU respondents 14 Travel insights

15 The recession which has had a serious impact on the vast majority of European economies has, not surprisingly, resulted in reduced spending on holidays be this by taking shorter holidays or purchasing a cheaper alternative, such as a less expensive destination. Amongst those people who take holidays, giving up on them altogether has not been the preferred option. One person in three says that they have changed their plans as a result of the economic situation with residents of Greece, Portugal, Cyprus and Spain topping the list. In contrast, the recession has not had the same impact on the holiday plans of those living in Scandinavia, Germany or the Benelux countries. For many people, the cost of a main holiday represents a major item of household expenditure. It is unsurprising that not having enough money available represents the primary reason for not going on holiday. As would be expected, there are significant variations across the various countries with financial concerns being less of an issue in Scandinavia but more so in Southern and Eastern Europe. Main reasons for not going on holiday Financial reasons Personal/private reasons 46% 23% Preferred to stay at home/ with family/friends 9% Job/career reasons 7% Base: EU 27 countries all those who did not take a personal holiday in TNS 15

16 High levels of satisfaction We tend to be very satisfied with our holidays and this holds true across the majority of countries and most types of travellers. 95% Natural features, landscape, weather 85% How tourists are welcomed Wilkommen

17 92% Accommodation 85% Quality of activities and services 83% Price levels Base: the 69% of EU 27 respondents who went on a personal holiday of 4 nights or more during 2012

18 Lower cost options grow There has been a shift away from an à la carte approach, towards holidays where some of the elements are packaged together, eg fly drive. This is usually a cheaper option suggesting that both the market and consumers are adjusting to economic pressures. All-inclusive holidays have not benefited in the same way, which suggests that we still want to retain some flexibility over our holiday. Going on the following types of holiday at least once % Tourism services purchased separately All-inclusive transport, accommodation, food & drink Package travel not all-inclusive Base: The 69% of EU 27 respondents who went on a personal holiday for a minimum of four consecutive nights during Travel insights

19 About Eurobarometer TNS Opinion & Social, conducts approximately eight Eurobarometer surveys a year, on behalf of the European Commission. These surveys cover the population of the respective nationalities of the European Union Member States, resident in each of the Member States and aged 15 years and over. Certain waves of research also involve surveys conducted in the six candidate countries (Croatia, Turkey, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Iceland, Montenegro and Serbia), the Turkish Cypriot Community, and Norway. A representative sample of 1,000 people is interviewed in each country (1500 in Germany; 1300 in the UK; 500 in Luxembourg, the Republic of Cyprus, the Turkish Cypriot Community, Iceland and Malta). About TNS At TNS UK we have a wealth of experience working within the travel, tourism, leisure and hospitality sectors, both within the UK and overseas, which means we have a very detailed knowledge and understanding of these markets. We combine this expertise with an unrivalled understanding of consumer behaviour, to help our clients identify strategies and opportunities for growth. To discuss how TNS can help you, contact: Tom Costley Group Director d +44 (0) tom.costley@tnsglobal.com

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