Tourism restarts in Italy and abroad, after two years marked by the Covid-19. This is what emerges from the twenty-first edition of the Ipsos-Europ Assistance Holiday Barometer: 76% (+9% compared to 2021) of the Italians interviewed declare that they will go on holiday this summer, against 71% of the European average, confirming the great desire to travel again. Furthermore, 36% of the sample has already booked their next trip.
Despite price increases and soaring inflation, the number of Europeans who will travel in summer 2022 is higher than pre-pandemic levels and Italy is confirmed as one of the countries with the most consistent growth, together with Spain, Portugal , Poland and Switzerland.
Increases by 10% compared to 2021, even the average budget available which reaches 1.740 euros, slightly lower than the European average of 1.805 euros. Over half of Italians this year too will favor proximity tourism (65%), but cross-border travel is growing again: 31% chooses abroad, an increase of +12% compared to 2021.
Summer 2022: the favorite destinations
Favorite destinations are confirmed Spain (for 10% of the sample), the France (7%) and the Greece (6%). Although the beach holiday always remains in first place with 66% of preferences, the cities of art are growing (22%, with an increase of 5% compared to 2022). The number of those who will travel by plane is also increasing (30%, +12% compared to 2021). However, the private car remains the most used vehicle (58%) albeit down by 12 points. Among the various types of accommodation, hotels are confirmed as the preferred choice by travelers (for 44%, up by 6 points compared to 2021), followed by holiday homes (preferred accommodation by 29% of respondents, -4% compared last summer). Italy remains the favorite travel destination abroad for Austrians, Germans, Swiss and Poles, confirming itself among the most loved by Europeans together with Spain and France.
How the pandemic has changed the travel habits of Italians
The research shows that Italians are the European population that most of all is convinced that the pandemic has had a strong impact on their travel habits, in contrast to the decline recorded in the rest of Europe and in the USA. Italy is also among the countries of Southern Europe (with Spain and Portugal) in which the survey records one of the highest percentages of people who, after the pandemic, consider it more important to be covered by atravel insurance during their holidays: almost half of the Italians interviewed declared it (45% of the sample).
According to the Holiday Barometer 2022, those who consider compliance with it are also increasing distancing rules on means of transport and in the chosen accommodations and the possibility of carrying out a swab before leaving. Among the reasons that push Italians to have travel insurance is the possibility of staying informed about the Covid situation before departure and throughout the trip.
