Study takes a close look at Swiss travel behavior
Two-thirds of Swiss people are going on summer vacation this year. In a European comparison, they are spending considerably more than vacationers from other countries.
Switzerland participated for the first time in the travel behavior study conducted by IPSOS/Europ Assistance, which thus covers eight European countries as well as the USA and Brazil.
According to the survey, two-thirds of the Swiss say they will be traveling this summer. This proportion is in line with the European average (63 percent; +9 percent compared to 2016). An increase that can also be observed in the USA: Here, travel plans rose by 5 percent to 66 percent. In Brazil, too, the share increased by 2 percentage points. This plus can be explained in part by an increase in shorter stays. For example, Europeans are taking 1.9 weeks' vacation this summer, compared with 2.4 last year.
44 percent of Swiss people are going on vacation for two weeks this year. Only 5 percent are content with a few days, and 25 percent are going away for a week, with the rest planning stays of three weeks (18 percent) and more (8 percent).
Swiss spend more
At European level, the average vacation budget has fallen by 12 percent compared to 2016 and amounts to 1,989 euros. With an average budget of 2,981 Swiss francs, or 2,802 euros, the Swiss spend the most on vacations, followed by Austria (2,423 euros; -11 percent) and Germany (2,297 euros; -7 percent). The budget is lowest in Italy and Spain (1,737 euros, -15 percent and 1,651 euros, -12 percent respectively).
Budget as the first selection criterion, followed by attack risk and climate
When European vacationers are asked about their selection criteria, budget remains the most important decision-making factor (55 percent, +17 percent), while climate comes in third (44 percent, +2 percent). The risk of terrorist attacks, which tourists nowadays include in their considerations, remains the second most important factor, rising by 8 percent to 48 percent today.
Vacations in your own country popular... except for Swiss and Belgians
As in previous years, Europeans' favorite destination remains their own country: 63 percent of the French plan their vacations at home, while 56 percent of Italians stay in Italy. This proportion is lower in the United Kingdom (31 percent), Germany (28 percent) and Austria (30 percent). Belgium and Switzerland are the only two countries to be the exception here: of them, only 20 percent and 16 percent respectively spend their vacations in their own country.
The Swiss prefer Italy
This year, vacationers again prefer to opt for sunny vacation destinations that offer a variety of swimming opportunities (64 percent, -3 percent). Meanwhile, city breaks are enjoying increasing popularity (24 percent, +6 percent), due not least to an ever greater number of short trips. Between June and September, Italy, Spain and France occupied the top three places among Europeans' favorite vacation destinations.
The Swiss are no exception: 25 percent of them are drawn to Italy, 20 percent to Spain, and 19 percent are declared lovers of France.
Accommodation choice
Hotel stays are still by far the most popular type of accommodation among European tourists (47 percent), Americans (57 percent) and Brazilians (59 percent). By contrast, more and more Europeans are considering renting a house or apartment in the summer (35 percent).
For 54 percent of the Swiss, the hotel remains the preferred type of accommodation. Renting a vacation home or apartment is the first choice for 29 percent, with 23 percent preferring to vacation with family, with friends or in their own vacation residence. 19 percent of the Swiss say they are also interested in swapping private homes.
What do the Swiss base their choice on? The price-performance ratio (72 percent), the location (45 percent), the range of services (32 percent) and the opinion of other travelers (28 percent).In this respect, 3 out of 4 travelers from Switzerland make comments online (about hotels, restaurants, vacation homes or apartments, airlines or sights) and are the European frontrunners in this respect. In a global comparison, Brazil is in first place here with 81 percent.
Study method
On behalf of Europ Assistance, Ipsos surveyed a representative sample of 10,000 people in Europe (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Austria, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland), the United States, and Brazil for an annual baseline study, published for the 17th consecutive year, to provide an overview of each nation's travel behavior, motivations, vacation destinations, and preferred mode of travel. The internet-based study was conducted from March 28 to April 21, 2017, using quota sampling (gender, age, occupation of head of family, region and size of city). The results of the study can be found at Europ-assistance.com.
About Europ Assistance
Europ Assistance was founded in 1963 and, as the inventor of the assistance concept, supports 300 million customers worldwide with tailored solutions in emergencies and everyday life. Europ Assistance Switzerland, based in Nyon, stands out for its solutions for companies. Its customers are essentially players in the insurance, health and travel sectors, but also international organizations or automobile manufacturers. The offer also includes services for companies with employees on business trips or expatriates. In addition, the company has a competence center for health in the Zurich region, where customers are advised on health issues.
