Europeans Favor Quieter Destinations In 2025 As Travel Intentions Surge: Here’s The New Updates You Should Know

Wednesday, July 16, 2025

European Travel Commission (ETC) has conscionable released its study “Monitoring Sentiment for Intra-European Travel”, providing exclusive insights connected mid-2025 recreation trends wrong Europe. The findings propose that recreation is still precocious connected nan schedule for Europeans, contempt prevailing economical headwinds, pinch a important 77% saying they expect to recreation betwixt June and November 2025. There is simply a clear displacement successful preferences distant from much crowded, noisy places, and much than half of travellers person expressed liking successful off-the-beaten-track destinations.

Desire to Travel is Strong and Across each Demographics

The study shows that recreation enthusiasm comes from each property groups, peculiarly 55 and older (82% are readying connected walking successful nan adjacent fewer months). This is nan group pinch nan highest intent to travel, while nan 45-54 (79%) and 35-44-year-olds (78%) besides person beardown intent to travel. The younger demographic, peculiarly nan 18 to 24 property range, definitive somewhat little volition to travel, astatine 66 percent who scheme to travel, contempt financial and clip barriers.

ETC President, Miguel Sanz, commented connected nan results stating “Europeans are not prepared to waste and acquisition successful their recreation plans for anything.” He besides identified a inclination of nan expanding entreaty of quieter destinations, peculiarly successful nan enarthrosis seasons, which provides nan opportunity for destinations to beforehand themselves arsenic sustainable and little crowded option.

Increased Interest successful Off-Peak Travel

July and August are still nan astir celebrated summertime months for holidays, pinch 1 successful 4 Europeans choosing them for travel, but September is becoming much and much popular. A important number of Europeans, 22 percent, are looking astatine early autumn jaunts, eyeing cooler weather, less visitors and a amended speech rate. This inclination for off-peak recreation seems to show that Europeans are progressively inclined to look for quiet places and slow down successful nan main tourer season.

Surge successful Regional Travel

Cross-border trips successful Europe will proceed to thrive, arsenic 91% of Europeans intend to recreation wrong nan continent. A important proportionality of this (65%) will sojourn neighbouring countries, pinch 32% opting for longer-haul travels crossed Europe – a 5% summation connected past year. The accrued liking for destinations successful distant Europe reflects a definite request to recreation for divers taste experiences and yet consciousness for illustration it’s easier to do, safer and much accessible than a location trip.

The Mediterranean continues to reign arsenic nan astir desirable region, pinch Spain taking nan lead (13 per cent) complete Italy (10 per cent), France (8 per cent) and Greece (6 per cent).

Preference for Less-Crowded Destinations

Among nan report’s astir noticeable trends is simply a desire for much tranquil destinations. European visitors are progressively shying distant from big-name destinations owed to overcrowding fears. The percent of those troubled by “too galore travellers” successful celebrated spots has jumped +3% to 11% successful 2024, and coming 11% of travellers are besides emphasizing “fewer crowds”−+4% compared pinch 2023.

In guidance to this inclination 55% of Europeans opportunity they intend to spell connected summertime vacations to little mainstream destinations, up from 48% successful outpouring 2025. On nan contrary, accepted tourer destinations are losing ground, pinch nary much than 45% intending to spell to celebrated sites.

Rising Interest successful Car Travel

Europeans shunning much crowded and little accessible destinations are taking to their cars. Thirty-two percent of travellers are readying to thrust successful 2025, compared to nan 28 per cent for 2024 — a 4 percent constituent increase. One logic down this alteration is nan elasticity and comfortableness of car transport, particularly for getting to destinations that are little well-served by nationalist transit.

Yet aerial recreation continues to beryllium nan astir celebrated carrier form, preferred by 53% of Europeans, owed chiefly to its velocity (27%) and costs (21%).

Travel Budgets Show Stability

Amid economical uncertainty, 62% of Europeans opportunity they will time off their recreation budgets unchanged for nan 2nd half of 2025, and 22% opportunity they will walk much connected travel. This stableness is an denotation of nan value of recreation successful nan lives of Europeans, contempt financial constraint.

The study besides makes statement of a alteration successful depletion habits. The inclination of spending betwixt €1,500 to €2,500 per personification connected trips has been reversed, pinch an summation successful nan magnitude being spent, up 3% from 2024. Top walk categories are accommodation (32%) and nutrient & beverages (24%), yet it´s a different communicative for different generations. The older (45+) spot privilege connected comfortableness and gourmet dining, whereas while nan younger ones (less than 35) put much speech for experiences, shopping and well-being.

Conclusion

Travel mightiness beryllium experiencing flimsy disturbances arsenic a consequence of economical concerns but it still is simply a privilege for Europeans, who are much and much looking for quieter, little populated destinations. This expanding attraction connected off-peak and location recreation besides provides a chance for destinations to respond and set to nan changing needs of European travelers. European destinations successful a much resilient and balanced tourism assemblage by promoting disconnected nan beaten way destinations and making disposable sustainable travel.