EUROP ASSISTANCE SURVEY REVEALS EUROPEAN HOLIDAY TRENDS

Issued on 15/05/2006

24% of British holiday makers will change their holiday plans because of the World Cup, more than any other nation

The British spend more on their holidays per household than any other European country - £1938 (2795 Euros) against an average of £1550 (2235 Euros)

50% of British holiday makers use the Internet to book their holiday, more than any other country surveyed

The British are more inclined to travel abroad than other Europeans and have a greater appetite for discovering new cultures

41% of European travellers say bird flu will have an influence on their choice of holiday destination

The British feature heavily in Europ Assistance’s (EA) latest survey into European holiday trends; in particular the way the World Cup will affect their holiday plans in 2006.

24% declared the World Cup would have an impact on their holiday period against 14% for the entire sample, while 23% said it would impact their choice of destination against a survey average of just 10%.

Europ Assistance, the medical, motor, travel and domestic assistance and insurance organisation surveyed 3,535 Europeans* in seven European countries. According to the research British travellers spend more money on holidays, holiday more often, use the Internet more for booking their next holiday and are increasingly worried about terrorism whilst on their travels.

The British spend 2795 Euros (£1938) on their average holiday, more than any other country. This compares with Germany 2233 Euros (£1548), Italy 2085 Euros (£1446), France 1884 Euros (£1306) and Spain 1880 Euros (£1304).

Some of this can be explained by the fact the British are more inclined to travel on holiday than other nationalities, but to a lesser degree than last year (68%, down 7 points). The Spanish remain the least willing to travel (51%) of the seven countries surveyed.

Current world events are having an impact on where Europeans go on holiday. Four out of 10 said the risk of a terrorist attack plays a vital role in their holiday choice and similarly health risks (40%). England, Germany and Austria list a terrorist attack as their main factor when choosing a holiday destination, compared with France, Italy and Belgium who list the climate as being their most important consideration.

Health risks are also becoming more of an issue with 41% of Europeans considering bird flu as an influence on their holiday choice.

According to EA the Internet has become one of the favoured methods to book their next holiday with 35% (up 7%) of Europeans using it for this purpose. 50% (up 9%) of Britains use the Internet to book holidays, with all countries but Italy (19%) showing an increase in Internet usage for this purpose.

“The survey reinforces the British public’s love of football in that they will be extending their time off to either watch the football at home, or will be actually travelling to Germany to watch the football live,” explained Charles Walckenaer, Managing Director of Europ Assistance UK and Ireland.

“It goes without saying that the Internet now plays an integral part in our process of researching and booking a holiday, but what was interesting was the impact of issues such as terrorism and epidemics are having on holidays. European travellers are very resilient, but it’s obvious they have these issues on their minds and safety is now much more of a consideration for countries like England and Germany than ever before,”
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