2024 global travel trends: Amid global uncertainty, travel emerges as a refreshing escape and a means of anxiety relief
As the world eagerly anticipates the summer season, the 2024 Europ Assistance / IPSOS Global Holiday Barometer demonstrates a strong and growing travel appetite across the world. While the global travel landscape is evolving, bringing new constraints or causing growing concerns such as security, inflation, geopolitical uncertainty or environmental sustainability, the insights from this new Global Holiday Barometer shed light on emerging trends and changing consumer preferences shaping the future of travel. However, there are notable variations observed among the 21 countries included in the survey.
“Despite global concerns surrounding inflation, geopolitical tensions and conflicts, the desire to travel remains remarkably resilient across all regions surveyed. With notable variations observed among the 21 countries included in the survey, this year’s barometer reflects genuine excitement about embarking on new adventures. It’s fascinating to see how travelers adapt their practices to address constraints, for example related to inflation. The survey brings a wealth of insights to all our partners who want to decrypt new trends, expectations and preferences!”
Holiday Barometer 2024 – Key Takeaways
Travel enthusiasm remains strong: Despite lingering uncertainties, travel enthusiasm is on the rise worldwide, signaling a robust recovery from the pandemic. According to the survey data, 80% of the European population exhibits enthusiasm for travel. This enthusiasm is high across other zones as well, with a sizable portion—ranging from a third (31% in North Asia) to nearly half (53% in India)—expressing genuine excitement (“really excited”) about embarking on new adventures.
This enthusiasm has been rising significantly since 2022 across zones, especially in Australia but also in Europe and North America, showing an eagerness to travel after the pandemic. Additionally, Europeans lead the charge when it comes to summer vacation with over two-thirds (68%) planning a summer getaway, highlighting a deeply rooted tradition, especially in Southern Europe, where the desire to explore new destinations runs high. In contrast, summer travel is less prevalent in other regions, with only around half of Australians (47%) and Americans (53%) planning trips, and even fewer Japanese (29%) are gearing up for summer adventures.
Plans to go away on holiday this year (in %)
Base: All respondents
Travel enthusiasm (in %)
Base: All respondents
An intense desire to escape and change scenery: The allure of international travel remains strong, with a substantial proportion of respondents expressing a keen interest in exploring destinations beyond their borders. Notably, 49% of European and 50% of North Asian travelers wish to embark on international trips this summer, indicating a pent-up demand for cross-border travel experiences.
Behind the overall European figure, significant differences exist inside Europe: while Southern Europe and France favor domestic travel, other countries are eager to cross borders during their holidays.
Ideal destination for summer vacation in 2024 (in %)
Base: All respondents
Traveler Motivations – Prioritizing Safety: In an era of heightened global uncertainty, safety considerations loom large in travelers’ decision-making processes. Across regions, travelers prioritize safety measures and health protocols when planning their trips, with respondents citing safety as a top priority in destination selection for North American, Middle Eastern, Indian, North Asian, and Australian travelers.
“The survey results show that despite the challenges of inflation and political uncertainties, the post covid enthusiasm for travel is still very strong amongst our customers. At Europ Assistance, our mission is to care for, help and provide peace of mind to our customers at every step of their journey. « You Live, We Care » is our motto. Moving forward it is crucial for all the Travel ecosystem players to continue working together to ensure that travel remains safe, enjoyable and most importantly sustainable.”
The risk of armed conflict in the destination zone is top among these safety concerns, which has seen a significant uptick of 28 points in Europe. This surge has led to an impressive 49% of Europeans citing it as an “essential” factor. (Note that in 2023, the item specifically mentioned the “war in Ukraine”.)
Navigating inflationary pressures: Rising inflation and economic uncertainty continue to pose challenges for travelers, impacting trip planning and budgeting decisions. Despite these constraints, travelers are adapting by seeking cost-effective alternatives and adjusting their spending habits to mitigate the impact of inflation on their travel plans.
Adaptation of travel plans due to inflation context (Yes – %)
Base: travelers who will adapt their plans due to inflation/decrease of purchasing power.
Balancing travel and environmental concerns: While travelers express a growing awareness of environmental issues, their commitment to sustainable travel practices remains nuanced. While the ecological footprint of travel remains a consideration for only 18% of European travelers when choosing a destination, and travelers may not always prioritize eco-conscious choices in transportation and accommodation, there’s a growing consciousness about environmental impact, and a notable shift towards mindful travel practices. Supporting local economies and minimizing waste have become widespread behaviors, with 88% of Europeans and 85% of North Americans actively incorporating these principles into their journeys.
Willingness to adopt sustainable travel practices
Yes (whether people are already doing it or would be ready to do it) (%)
Base : All respondents
Emerging travel trends: The survey identifies a range of emerging travel trends, including the rise of niche travel segments such as “workation,” slow tourism, and culinary tours. A quarter of active European travelers intend to embark on a “workation” this year – defined as the seamless integration of work and vacation, where individuals work remotely from a holiday destination. Interestingly, this trend is even more pronounced in the Middle East (76%), India (75%), and to a lesser extent, in North Asia (44%) and North America (38%).
Exploring new horizons responsibly
Across continents, the desire for exploration remains strong, but travelers are increasingly mindful of their environmental impact. Sustainable travel practices are gaining traction, with eco-friendly transportation options and responsible tourism initiatives at the forefront of traveler preferences.
According to the Holiday Barometer, 69% of Europeans express interest in slow tourism, a trend characterized by immersive experiences that support local communities and minimize environmental impact. Likewise, 38% are drawn to wellbeing trips/tours, seeking health-focused travel experiences that prioritize relaxation and rejuvenation.
Adventures await: global travel trends
The allure of international travel remains undeniable, with destinations such as Italy, Spain, and France continuing to captivate European travelers. Meanwhile, countries like Japan and Turkey emerge as top choices for travelers from across the globe, reflecting a growing interest in cultural exploration and diverse experiences.
Survey methodology
The 2024 edition of the Holiday Barometer from Europ Assistance and Ipsos was conducted in 21 countries including the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Italy, France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Portugal, Belgium, Poland, Czech Republic, Malaysia, Australia, Hong-Kong, Japan, Singapore, India, Saudi Arabia and United Arab countries.
In each country, 1,000 consumers aged 18 years and older took part in an online questionnaire. Each sample was put together using the quota method (gender, age, profession) after stratification by region and by city size.
The survey was conducted between March 27th and April 22nd and investigated consumer holiday plans and travel preferences.
About Europ Assistance
Founded in 1963, Europ Assistance, the inventor of assistance, supports customers in over 200 countries and territories thanks to our network of 750.000 approved providers and 57 assistance centers. Our mission is to make people’s life easier providing relief during stressful and difficult situations, as well as convenience and safety in their everyday lives. We provide automobile assistance, travel assistance and insurance, as well as home and personal assistance services such as the protection of the elderly, telemedicine or conciergerie services. The company vision, shared by our 12,000 employees, is to be the most reliable care company in the world.
Europ Assistance is part of the Generali Group, one of the world’s leading insurers.
About IPSOS
Ipsos is one of the largest market research and polling companies globally, operating in 90 markets and employing nearly 20,000 people. Our passionately curious research professionals, analysts and scientists have built unique multi-specialist capabilities that provide true understanding and powerful insights into the actions, opinions and motivations of citizens, consumers, patients, customers or employees. Our 75 business solutions are based on primary data from our surveys, social media monitoring, and qualitative or observational techniques. “Game Changers” – our tagline – summarizes our ambition to help our 5,000 clients navigate with confidence our rapidly changing world. Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos has been listed on the Euronext Paris since July 1, 1999.
Read the full Europ Assistance 2024 Holiday Barometer
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The Arcane
Victor BOUCHUT | Tel. +33 (0)6 41 99 36 72
europ-assistance@the-arcane.com
For inquiries about the report, please contact:
Katya Skorik
Group Head of Travel Business Line
kskorik@ea24.john-brightman.com
