Belgians want to travel more and have a bigger budget for that | To travel

Belgians are ready to travel. 71 percent of respondents say they want to leave in the coming summer months, an increase of 18 percent compared to 2021. A third of them even say they want to do multiple trips, doubling from last year. Our compatriots remain predictable in their destination. For example, France, Spain and Italy remain the most popular holiday countries. No less than 79 percent of Belgians travel within Europe.

An important observation of Europ Assistance is that the holiday budget of Belgians is increasing again and now amounts to an average of 2,289 euros, or 306 euros more than last summer. This means that the budget is back between the level of 2018 and 2019, the years before the corona crisis. In terms of budget, our country is in second place in Europe, after Switzerland. At European level, Belgians are the least likely to opt for a staycation or a home holiday and that entails extra costs.

Most compatriots have enough budget, but the 29 percent of Belgians who do not go on holiday give the main reasons that they cannot afford it financially or that they want to save. The coronavirus is hardly seen as a concern, while the war in Ukraine is becoming more prominent.

Belgians still prefer to go to the sea or the coast when they go on holiday, but more city trips are being taken now that the corona crisis is gradually ebbing. Europ Assistance notes in its survey that less travel is being done in a family bubble this summer. For example, the respondents indicate that they dare to mingle with other tourists again, so that they want to discover new cultures and environments. Hence the renewed interest in city trips.

The disappearance of the corona measures also has other consequences for travel behaviour. Last year, for example, 62 percent of the respondents went on holiday by car, now it is 48 percent. The car remains the most popular mode of transport, but the plane is again becoming more popular, although it is not yet at the level before the pandemic. Another observation is that Belgians are again spending more time in hotels. In 2021, rental homes – good for the family bubble – were the most popular, but in 2022 a hotel stay will be number one again.

Finally, almost one in five Belgians indicates a workation and therefore also to work at the holiday destination. According to Europ Assistance, this is most likely the result of habits developed during the lockdowns. Most holidaymakers do workation from a holiday home or from the home of a family member or friend.