Summer holidays 2020: New survey reveals nearly half of Europeans are traveling in August

Amsterdam, 6 August 2020 – 45% of European respondents plan to travel this month with the vast majority staying within Europe; 80% will visit a museum or attraction on their trip; top safety preferences are dedicated routes for social distancing and pre-booking times for visits.

Summer holidays will look a bit different this year, but Europeans are returning to travel nonetheless. According to a consumer survey on European holidays in 2020 conducted by Tiqets,* many Europeans are ready to start traveling again, with 25% traveling in the next two weeks and 45% within the next month.

Summer holidays near home

Respondents are staying closer to home and traveling for shorter time periods than typical summer holidays:

• 34% of respondents will explore their own country and another 51% will leave their borders but stay within Europe. 

• Only 15% of respondents will go on holiday for more than two weeks. Most respondents (50%) will take a 1-2 week trip, with 30% just getting away for the weekend. 

• Car is the most popular mode of transportation among half (50%) of the respondents, but nearly a third of Europeans (30%) still plan to travel by plane. 10% will take trains to their destinations. 

• City trips remain the most popular type of travel, with 36% heading to a city, followed by 20% looking for a beach getaway, and 19% going on a nature escape. 

• The Dutch are the most eager to travel again, with 50% leaving in the next two weeks – double the European average. 

• Each country has its favorite destinations, with the Brits and Spanish loving French vacations, and the Dutch and French seeking out Italian escapes.

Museums and attractions are still must-sees

The vast majority of Europeans (80%) will visit museums and attractions on their next holiday, with almost 1 in 10 even deciding where to travel based on if museums or attractions are open there (7%). 

The most important venue safety measures to respondents are:

1. Dedicated routes (60%)
2. Pre-booking timeslots (56%)
3. Regular cleanings (52%
4. Hand sanitizer (45%)
5. Staff enforcement of regulations (38%)

Spaniards (62%) and Brits (42%) also rate staff wearing a mask as a top safety measure. 

Flexible cancellation policy is the top consideration before booking travel according to respondents (55%), followed by price (15%) and the number of coronavirus cases in the region (10%). 

European respondents also said they are ready to attend activities at museums and attractions once more, such as exhibitions (69%), tours (48%), special events (44%), talks and presentations (32%), and family activities (22%). 

You can find more about the European holidays survey here. Tiqets’ Recovery Package landing page has more information about how museums and attractions can make consumers feel safe and confident in visiting their venue once again.

*Methodology: Tiqets surveyed nearly 300 consumers from the UK, France, Netherlands, Italy, and Spain on their travel plans for 2020 and what museums and attractions can do to win them back.

About Tiqets

Tiqets’ mission is to make culture more accessible by making it easier for more people to discover more ways to culture. From the start in 2014, the company has connected millions of people to museums and attractions with instant, last-minute, and mobile tickets. Tiqets works with both hidden gems and top museums and attractions all over the world.

The company is headquartered in Amsterdam and now employs 200+ people worldwide, including in Amsterdam (HQ) as well as Seattle, Las Vegas, Orlando, Philadelphia, London, Copenhagen, Paris, Barcelona, Rome, Vienna, Bangkok, Tokyo, and Osaka. More information can be found on Tiqets.com.