ETC Study: Travelers Keen on Visiting Greece in Coming Months
Greece ranked 5th among the most popular destinations for travelers planning trips in the coming months to spring, found a study released by the European Travel Commission (ETC).
More specifically, according to the ETC’s latest “Monitoring Sentiment for Domestic and Intra-European Travel” report carried out in collaboration with Mindhaus, 68 percent of surveyed Europeans said they were planning to travel between October 2023 and March 2024, a reduced figure by 2 percent compared to the same period in 2022.
At the same time, 54 percent said they plan to take multiple trips and to spend more (up by 7 percent over 2022) than 1,500 euros per trip.
Greece among top 5 preferred countries for travel
According to the rankings, 4.4 percent of those surveyed said they were planning to visit Greece in the coming period. At the top of the list was France (7.4 percent), followed by Italy (7.0 percent), Spain (6.8 percent), and Germany (5.7 percent).
The most eager to travel in the coming period are travelers from Spain and Italy, with 75 percent likely to take a trip before March 2024, and from the UK and Poland at 73 percent.
In an earlier ETC study, Greece was also among destinations in high demand for long-haul vacationers who are planning to take at least one trip until the end of the year.
“We are very glad to see that European travelers continue to prioritize their travel spend, even in light of ongoing worries about increasing travel costs and personal finances,” said ETC President Miguel Sanz. “The current trends present an optimistic outlook for European tourism in the coming months, demonstrating its resilience to global economic challenges,” he added.
Other key findings:
– tourists are embracing money-saving strategies and off-season travel in the face of rising prices. Indicatively, 22 percent said they are interested in off-season travel, 13 percent in visiting more affordable destinations, 13 percent plan to book flights and activities earlier. At the same time, 17 percent plan to reduce shopping, 15 percent to spend less on accommodation and dining, and 12 percent to use public transportation or bike rental services
– 71 percent of those polled said they would be maintaining or boosting their travel spending
– reasons for travel cited include leisure trip (69 percent), visiting family and friends (15 percent), and business travel (8 percent)
– 22 percent of respondents said rising costs was their greatest concern surrounding travel
– 19 percent said mild weather is the most important factor for choosing a destination while 14 percent said the impact of extreme weather events on their travel plans is a primary concern, up by 7 percent over the May 2023 study.