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Worldwide: Research from Europ Assistance (EA) and Generali Global Assistance (GGA) found that 78 per cent of US and EU travellers would book a vacation rental in the next 18 months.Â
Published under the Vacation Rental Barometer, EA and GGA surveyed 8,700 travellers across eight countries in the US and Europe from February 28 to April 1, 2021. The survey respondents were questioned if they would be travelling within the next 18 months, as well as their booking preferences, travel habits, and more.Â
Findings from the research include the following:
- 47 per cent of Europeans are planning a summer trip compared to 35 per cent of Americans
- 23 per cent of Americans indicated they planned to travel this spring compared to 13 per cent of Europeans
- 49 per cent of all travellers surveyed indicated they planned to take their next trip domestically with Americans (71 per cent) the most likely to travel close to home
- 55 per cent of European travellers indicated they plan to travel abroad
- 78 per cent of travellers are more likely to book a vacation rental above all other types of accommodations in the next 18 months and 86 per cent said they would be more likely to continue booking them after the pandemic
- Vaccine availability was more likely to impact travel plans for both Europeans (83 per cent) and Americans (82 per cent)
- 21 per cent of European travellers who were undecided about taking the vaccine indicated they would consider it if it was mandatory to fly
Francine Abgrall, group head of travel at EA, said: “Throughout the pandemic, vacation rental has been one travel sector that has been less negatively impacted than others. As the overall travel industry prepares for travel to pick up, we wanted to know the sentiments of travellers about their upcoming travel plans and in particular whether the favourable trend towards vacation rental would persist. We felt it was important to gauge the sentiment of the average traveller to provide ourselves and our partners, leaders in the vacation rental booking industry, with valuable insights. Overall, the travellers we surveyed are excited to travel again, while Europeans indicated they would prefer to travel abroad Americans opted to stay closer to home. When deciding what type of accommodation they would like on their next trip, 71 per cent indicated they would book a vacation rental.”
Chris Carnicelli, CEO of GGA, said: “Given the pent-up demand for travel it’s not surprising that approximately 80 per cent of respondents indicated that they planned to travel in the next 18 months. Based on the findings of our Vacation Rental Barometer and current industry trends, we anticipate that travellers will flock to vacation rentals as they look to have a relaxing socially distanced getaway.”
Other statistics found from the research can be found here.Â
