According to a survey conducted by Travellyze, to more than 20,000 travelers on the continent summer looks promising for tourism, trips to festivals are emerging as a great leisure alternative. Now that the industry is reaching full recovery as life seems to be getting back to normal, European festival destinations are becoming attractive for Europeans looking to enjoy live music in the open air.
Based on studying tourists' preferences, good weather has boosted this type of getaway. To such an extent, that the demand for travel to festivals has grown significantly compared to what was seen in 2021. Specifically, 71.26% in June, 91.9% in July and 85.7% in August.
In addition, the European tourism intelligence platform ITG (International Tourism Group) has drawn up a profile of these travelers and analyzed their preferences.
Who Are Festival-goers?
The data collected reflect the differences in the profile of this traveler compared to previous years. For example, compared to 2021, there is a 25.4% increase in the 18-24 age segment. In addition, the majority of festival-goers (42.6%) are in the 18 to 44 age group, a fairly young audience in general.
In line with what is happening in tourism globally, visitors plan to spend more on this occasion. In 2022, the budget for their trips raised 15.8%, on average they intend to spend up to €1,000 per person. In addition, an important percentage (19%) of visitors will spend between 1,000 and 3,000 euros at festivals this summer.
As for what drives them to go on these trips, 65.9% of those seeking this type of experience admit that they are inspired by the experiences of their friends and family. This is a trend that has increased by 12.4% compared to the previous year, so it should be taken into account. On the other hand, travelers who are inspired by metasearch engines such as Google when looking for cultural experiences have also increased by 7.8% compared to 2021.
What Is Travel to Festivals Like?
The attractions of these getaways are clear: sun, fresh air, live music and good company. That is the main reason why more than half of those who travel to attend a festival do so between May and September. In this way, summer becomes the favorite time for festival-goers, who see a luxurious opportunity to take advantage of their vacations the way they like best.
If we study the accommodations preferred by these travelers, rural houses are the ones that have experienced the highest growth, 15.1% compared to last year. Meanwhile, hotels with three and four stars (17%) are in the lead, followed by vacation rentals (10%) and hostels (7.8%).
As for the preferred means of transport, 52.1% prefer to use their own vehicle to reach their destination. Then, another very high percentage of people (40.5%) use airplanes, 20.6% travel by train and 13.1% use the bus.