Allianz Partners travel index shows majority want to travel during winter
While the world is watching how the new Omicron variant will affect travel, Allianz Partners has shared the results of its International Vacation Confidence Index
Carried out by OpinionWay, the recent survey finds that a majority of European and American holidaymakers intend to travel this winter, with over half of all respondents in the nine countries surveyed planning to travel.
While there is a strong intention to travel this winter, it is predominantly driven by strong domestic demand, with Italians (65 per cent), Spaniards (63 per cent), French (42 per cent) and Americans (57 per cent) intending to forgo international travel in favour of holidaying inside their own country of residence. The cross-country trend suggests that the return to international travel this winter will be met with caution by many prospective holidaymakers.
A few of the top survey trends show:
- Spaniards, Italians and Americans have the highest travel intentions and place the most importance on winter travel
- The French are the least likely to have winter holiday plans this year, followed by the Germans and the Dutch
- The Brits place somewhere in the middle in terms of domestic winter travel plans (44 per cent) with a higher preference for planning foreign travel (25 per cent) than France (15 per cent) and America (18 per cent)
- The Swiss and the Dutch have the highest rate of foreign travel plans: 38 per cent and 31 per cent respectively.
Britons most likely to take out travel insurance
Americans intend to spend the most on a winter holiday this year with an intended vacation spend of US$3,382. This could be attributed to the cost of transportation where travel often requires flying. Britons have the second highest budget at £1,891, with a relatively high percentage of Britons intending to travel abroad when compared to other markets. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the lowest budget for winter travel is in Italy £652 and Spain £795, where costs are lower, and travel is feasible by train or by car.
In Germany, concern about the ongoing health crisis is the main reason for not planning a holiday this winter (30 per cent) compared with just 13 per cent of French respondents. The health crisis is also a key consideration for Britons, with 27 per cent citing it as a travel deterrent.
For the majority of respondents, the combination of vaccination and flexible travel arrangements offer sufficient mitigation against this period of uncertainty and risk. Vaccination is the top precaution undertaken by all.
Britons are most likely to take out insurance (39 per cent) followed by the Dutch (30 per cent) and Spaniards (25 per cent). Americans are the least likely with only 14 per cent citing that they’ll take out insurance.
Commenting on the survey, Joe Mason, Chief Marketing Officer of Travel at Allianz Partners, said: “Understanding what factors influence individual travel decisions is vital for tourism planning in these uncertain times and enables Allianz Partners to respond to changing consumer needs and preferences with travel protection solutions aimed at boosting traveller confidence into the future.”