London, 9th March 2023 – Three in four Europeans and nearly four in five Brits are confident that they will go on holiday at some stage in 2023, and over a third of Brits (35%) are very confident that this will happen, despite the relatively uncertain economic outlook for the year.
Nonetheless, though it was clear that one in five Brits do not have the money to travel at all this year, over half (52%) said that their personal financial situation had lowered their aspirations for winter travel, whether it was changing their duration, destination or even cancelling their plans. These findings are likely to continue to factor in deciding travel plans later in the year.
These are the latest findings from Allianz Partners‘ Vacation Confidence Index, conducted by OpinionWay on behalf of Allianz Partners in early January 2023. 9,337 people across Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Switzerland, UK and Poland were polled in the study which explores consumer trust and confidence levels in travel for 2023.
Of the countries surveyed, Switzerland is the most confident about travel prospects with 80% confident of going on holiday in 2023, with Britons, Italians and Austrians not far behind at 79%. Although the Netherlands is the least confident country participating in the study, 68% of Dutch still feel optimistic about their vacation prospects this year.
Confidence about going on holidays 2023 is high across all age demographics. The most confident are those aged 25-34; 78% expressed confidence in travelling this year. Meanwhile, 76% of those aged over 50, typically the least confident demographic, are confident they will travel.
The study also sheds light on the different effects that climate concern is having on travellers from different age groups. Overall, a third of Brits say they are likely to alter their winter vacation plans as a result of the ongoing climate crisis. However, there are significant differences of opinion among younger and older travellers.
Just over a half of those aged under-35 expect to change their travel plans due to climate concerns, such as traveling to a different destination or reducing the budget or duration of their trip. But this drops to just a third of those aged between 35-49 and plummets to 15% of those aged over 50.
Commenting on the survey, Joe Mason, Chief Marketing Officer - Travel, at Allianz Partners said: “After a very challenging period in recent years for those wishing to travel, the level of confidence Europeans have in their ability to vacation is high for the rest of 2023. Despite the cost of living crisis, Europeans are exhibiting a level of enthusiasm for travel that points to a very prosperous immediate future for the industry as a whole.
“Perhaps unsurprisingly, young people are most aware of the negative impacts of climate change, and most willing to adjust their travel plans in a bid to reduce their travel footprint. This trend will likely spread to more demographics as people begin making more concerted efforts to be more sustainable.”