New survey shows that the holiday mood of Austrians has cooled down. Last year almost two-thirds of Austrians went for scheduled holiday trips. This year only 50 percent want to go for vacation.
The survey was organized by the Austrian Automobile, Motorcycle and Touring Club (ÖAMTC) focusing on the travel behavior and vacation plans of Austrians. In April the Market Institute conducted 800 telephone interviews.
Other findings show that 36 percent of Austrians, which is twice as many people than last year, do not want to travel in 2013 and 11 percent are not sure. 3 percent have already been on their main holiday this year.
“If the travel intentions of Austrians are confirmed, then there might be a significant drop in the number of vacationers in the summer of 2013,” said Silvie Bergant from the ÖAMTC.
Although Austrians are likely to travel less, they are planning travels for longer periods of time. 78 percent are planning a 4-to-14 day holiday. On average, the holiday will last around twelve days. Only 14 percent plan to take a short break of up to three days. In 2012, 25 percent of travelers made a short getaway.
Only 16 percent of Austrians are planning to have a vacation at home. In the previous year, 27 percent opted for staycation. 64 percent are attracted to other European countries, and 14 percent to a non-European destination (Top 3: USA/Canada, Egypt and the Caribbean).
“Austrians want to have a good time when on vacation. It is the current trend to go on the classic beach holiday in the popular Mediterranean countries and avoid the risk of bad weather, while staying in Austria,” said the ÖAMTC expert. Top destinations in Europe are Italy (15 percent), Croatia (12 percent) and Greece (7 percent).
The travel budget is, on average, at least 947 euros per person. Almost one in three people plan to spend more than €1,000 for their holiday. The most popular may be a vacation to Vienna costing, on average, 1,049 euros per person. Savings would most likely be made by the Austrians during the evening entertainment, while shopping and on arrival. When choosing a means of travel, cars are popular (43 percent) but airplanes come first (44 percent).