Shorter stays and tighter budgets, but the desire to travel in Europe reaches record levels

Europeans’ intention to travel is returning to record levels. For spring–summer 2026, travel forecasts have reached their highest point since 2020 (82%), confirming the strong resilience of the tourism sector despite a context still marked by economic and geopolitical uncertainties.

Demand therefore remains solid, but travellers are gradually changing their behaviour, adapting to the current context: they are revising budgets, shortening the length of stays, reducing the frequency of trips and more carefully directing their choice of destinations.

This is highlighted by the latest Monitoring Sentiment for Intra-European Travel (Wave 24) report by the European Travel Commission, according to which 82% of Europeans plan to travel between April and September, an increase of 10% compared to last year. This growth is mainly driven by younger travellers. The 18–34 age groups are recording the most significant increases in travel intentions: +21% among 18–24-year-olds and +16% among 25–34-year-olds.

Travellers’ habits are changing

The travel sector therefore confirms its resilience, but the tensions linked to the current context, including inflation and complex geopolitical scenarios, are forcing Europeans to rethink their habits, adopting a more cautious and selective approach.

The most evident trend concerns the duration of stays: compared to last year, there is a growing preference for shorter trips. Today, the most common option is between 4 and 6 nights (38%, up by 3 percentage points), while longer stays of 7 to 12 nights are declining (37%, down by 5 points).

Caution is also evident in terms of budgets, with increasing attention to costs among travellers, who are more and more seeking the best value for money. As a result, the share of those planning to keep spending within €1,000 per trip is up by 4% compared to last season, while the segment of those intending to allocate at least €1,500 to travel is significantly decreasing (-9%).

With tighter budgets, travellers prioritise spending on accommodation, followed by food and drinks and activities at the destination, while interest in luxury experiences has decreased by 3% compared to the previous year. At the same time, the frequency of travel is also decreasing: 39% of Europeans plan to take only one trip in the next six months (+7% compared to last year), while the share of those planning at least two trips drops to 57%.

Europe remains the preferred destination, with the South leading preferences

The choice of destinations is mainly driven by factors linked to geopolitical tensions and rising costs: safety is the primary criterion (22%), followed by pleasant and stable weather (15%) and attractive deals (14%). Concerns related to rising costs remain the most significant overall (20%), while worries linked to tensions in the Middle East are also increasing significantly (18%).

Europeans continue to favour destinations within the continent: 90% choose to stay in Europe, with a growing share of travellers planning cross-border trips (65%, +4%). Interest in more distant European destinations is also rising, now almost at the same level as neighbouring countries.

Southern Europe and the Mediterranean area dominate the scene, confirming themselves as the most popular destinations for the season, with strong growth in demand (+17%) and almost 60% of preferences. Spain (14%) tops the ranking, followed by Italy (11%), France (8%), Greece and Portugal (both at 6%), destinations that continue to attract thanks to their mix of seaside holidays, culture and city experiences.

Another emerging trend concerns travel patterns: interest in itineraries covering multiple countries is declining, while the desire to explore multiple locations within the same destination is increasing (+5%, reaching 42%). This indicates a shift towards deeper and more diverse experiences and, as Miguel Sanz, President of the European Travel Commission, stated, “represents an opportunity for destinations and operators to create integrated offers and facilitate more seamless journeys, in line with travellers’ expectations”.