Intention for long-haul travel to Europe recovering from 2021 low point
Intention for long-haul travel to Europe recovering from 2021 low point
Long-haul travel was a key driver of growth for the European tourism sector in the years before the COVID-19 pandemic but has been severely impacted since then. 2021 saw the start of a recovery, especially from the US market. In 2022, the global vaccine roll-outs will help Europe regain some of its prior prominence in terms of the importance of long-haul travel, though the full recovery will take some time. According to the latest Long-Haul Travel Barometer (LHTB) 1/2022, the intention for overseas travel to Europe has begun to improve, while travel restrictions can be seen as one of the leading factors causing travel hesitancy.
The LHTB from the European Travel Commission (ETC) and Eurail BV anticipates short-term travel intentions in six overseas markets – Brazil, Canada, China, Japan, Russia, and the United States every four months. Intention to travel is measured in an index that reflects the dominant sentiment expressed by a market, either positive or negative. Values above 100 indicate a positive evolution, whereas values below 100 indicate negative attitudes towards travel in a given period.
The current issue of the LHTB provides insights on the travellers' sentiment and plans for the first four months of 2022 (January-April) and the whole year of 2022 (January-December).