This Fáilte Ireland report looks at domestic travel behaviour over and focusses on the 2023 summer season (June 23-August 23) for insights, behaviours and motivations to help the industry.    Some of the findings included: 

• Less summer trips are being taken for general leisure purposes, with an increase in travel for events.
• Adventure motivations have elevated (20% vs 14% ‘22), with a fallback in Exploration (18% vs 23% ‘22).
• Daytrip behaviour is prominent (50% over summer).  
• A higher proportion of consumers are taking trips abroad than trips in Republic of Ireland. 
• Satisfaction with short and long trips remains high and value for money perceptions have improved. 
• Traditional destinations and activities within Ireland remain popular. 
• Intent is starting to track backwards, consumer spending and consumer confidence are declining – driven by global uncertainty, geo-political instability and cost of living concerns.

See more in this report. 

The ETC Long Travel Barometer - Q1 2024 monitors intention to travel to Europe for the next 12 months (January - December) & for the next 4 months (January to April)

The main findings are: 

• Intention for overseas travel is generally positive in key long haul markets with particularly high levels of positivity among Brazilians, Australians, Canadians, and Koreans
• However, travellers display greater reluctance to visit Europe in the initial four months of the year.
• There is a positive shift in Japan, where an additional 5% of
  respondents now express an intention to travel long-haul but intention is still relatively low at 35%. 
• In contrast, China is the only market with a significant 14% decrease in the number of individuals planning long-distance travel in 2024.
• Among those eager to travel overseas in all key markets,  75% plan to visit Europe. 

See more in the full report

(Survey was carried out in December 2023).

The ETC have been monitoring sentiment for domestic and intra- European travel since September 2020. In the latest wave of research (wave 17) carried out in September, European travellers were asked about their travel plans for the October 23 - March 24 period.  Key findings were:

• 68% of Europeans plan to travel between October 2023 and March 2024, a 3% decrease when compared to a year ago,
• Concerns about travel cost inflation (22%) and personal finance  (16%) top Europeans’ travel-related worries, there has also been an increase of 7% in concern regarding extreme weather events  vs the summer.

• To counteract financial concerns, 22% will opt for off-season trips, 13% will travel to more affordable destinations, and 13% will book activities and flights in advance.  They will also limit their shopping in destination (17%) and will select less expensive accommodation and more affordable restaurants. (15%).

Click on the image for the full report and on the link below for the Press Release: Here

Research in this wave was conducted in the following markets - Germany, United Kingdom, France, Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, Poland, and Austria

This report gives insights on luxury travel post pandemic. Some of the insights include:.  

• Like other global consumers, affluent travellers are spending more on travel. 
• Passion for travel is particularly high among younger luxury travellers. 
• Flexible working arrangements following the pandemic has  created opportunities for more blended trips - Bleisure Travel .  
• Health and Wellness travel is now key motivator for affluent  consumers seeking to rejuvenate their mind and body in  health and wellness retreats.
• Sustainability is also an important consideration for this group.  Conscious travel is high on the luxury list - staying in eco luxury accommodation or aligning with travel brands that support local communities and protect the planet.

See more in the full report. 

The number of people concerned about their health and wellbeing has soared since the pandemic began.   21% of global travellers are travelling for health-and wellness reasons (2022 Travel Trends) and this is likely to grow in 2023, with 29% of global travellers stating that they are interested in travelling for wellness reasons in the future.

Read more in this article from National Geographic.

What are the similarities and differences between Europe’s camping nations?  What is most important when choosing a campsite? Is is location,  facilities or activities available? 

EHG surveyed over 3,800 campers from nine countries in the spring of 2018 in an online survey,

Both caravanners and campers who travel with a motorhome were questionned.   Click the image to see the results of the survey and the link below for more detail.  

  Caravanning Cultures Research

Booking.com have used data from a global study of 27,000 travellers across 33 countries to produce seven 2024 travel predictions and local market insights from the UK, Italy, Germany, Spain, the USA and Latin America.

See these insights in this report. 

This Skyscanner report provides a forward-looking view of changing traveller attitudes and booking behaviour. This research was based on Skyscanner search & booking data and a survey of 18,000 travellers worldwide.  Some of the findings included: 

• Travel is a top priority in 2024 for travellers 

• Globally, the travel industry has performed despite  challenges like staffing and capacity restraints, and  disruption from extreme weather conditions.

• Domestic and international air connectivity levels have increased. Seat capacity is nearing or has has exceeded 2019 levels, and airlines try to meet sustained traveller demand.

• People are continuing to ring-fence their travel budget and invest their discretionary spend in leisure trips through 2023 and in 2024, despite higher average fares vs pre-pandemic.

See more in the full report. 

The survey tracks global travel trends was conducted by Ipsos among 15,000 people across 15 countries.

The survey found that:

• Holidaymakers are eager to travel and are not ready to make concessions on their holidays
• Three out of four Europeans intend to travel during the summer 
• Concerns relating to Covid 19 and impact on travel habits have faded over time 
• However, inflation is the first concern for travellers in all countries,
• One third of travellers (Europe, N America, Australia) are willing to book cheaper accommodation or last minute deals however reducing the duration of their trip is the last thing they consider.
• Sustainable travel habits are strong in intentions, but don’t translate into massive behaviour changes

See more in the report. 

Who are our Overseas Holidaymakers?
More than half of overseas tourists who come to Ireland are on holiday.  This research reveals: 

• Where they come from
• How much they spend
• How they choose and plan their holiday
• What they see and do 
• Where they stay 

See this infographic for these and more facts about holidaymakers to Ireland.