New research by the European Travel Commission finds that more Europeans have autumn and winter travel plans, with remote destinations and increased getaways shaping intentions.
New data has found that 76% of Europeans plan to take an overnight trip between October 2026 and March 2027 – a 3% increase compared to last year.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
According to the latest Monitoring Sentiment for Intra-European Travel Autumn and Winter 2026/2027 report, issued by the European Travel Commission (ETC), city breaks, culture trips and festive getaways are driving the demand.
Based on an online survey of 6,000 respondents from Germany, United Kingdom, France, Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, Poland and Austria, who had taken at least two overnight trips during the last three years, travel intentions are expected to peak around Christmas time, with 23% of respondents planning a trip during the festive period.
Visiting friends and family is a strong motivation for December travel according to 34% of respondents – compared with 10% across other months. After a dip in January, travel is expected to pick up again across February and March (29%).
“It is particularly encouraging to see an increase in intention during February and March, typically quieter periods of the year, as well as a growing interest in off-the-beaten-track destinations,” Eduardo Santander, Chief Executive Officer of the ETC, said.
“These two trends combined could be leveraged to reduce tourism congestion and create new opportunities for local businesses in established and developing destinations alike.”
The report also found that single-destination stays remain the trip format of choice, favoured by 60% of travellers. This preference is especially notable for those seeking sun and beach (69%), skiing (67%) and city breaks (66%).
Despite strong travel intentions, financial pressures (37%) and geopolitical instability (23%) are the leading concerns for would-be travellers. Extreme weather (10%) and overcrowding (9%) also feature among their worries.
Further, when it comes to deciding where to travel to, safety is the most important consideration (20%), with the Polish (45%), British and Spanish (both at 43%) respondents being the top markets that only avoid direct safety risks.
Other considerations include pleasant weather (15%), as well as attractive prices and destinations that are low-cost (14% and 11%).
Where is everyone planning to travel?
France, Spain, Italy, Germany and the UK are the top countries among respondents, with the ETC finding that 64% are keen on intra-European travel.
Southern Europe and the Mediterranean remain popular choices, with 53% intending to visit the region this autumn and winter.
Meanwhile, western Europe is gaining ground, attracting positive sentiment from 23% of respondents, marking a 5% increase compared to last year. The region is especially popular for sun and beach (25%), culture and heritage (18%) and city breaks (16%).
At the same time, there is a growing interest in Europe’s “less popular” destinations, with 54% attracted to remote or "off-the-beaten-track" spots. The Netherlands, Switzerland, Poland, Belgium and Austria are the top five in this regard.
Among the 4,555 respondents who said they were likely to travel in the next six months, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands and Germany emerged as the most popular destinations.
More Europeans are also securing their travel arrangements in advance, with 38% of travellers having either partially booked or arranged their next trip's accommodation or transport, or booked all components of their next trip. This is up by 5% compared to last year's survey.
Leisure, city breaks and cultural heritage
While single-city itineraries proved to be the most popular travel format, the ETC found that 36% of respondents said they plan to visit multiple cities within one country for their next trip, and a further 4% intend to visit multiple countries this season.
Leisure is the leading motivation driving travel intentions at 71%, with Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands ranking as the top destinations for such getaways. This season of leisure getaways will also be marked by city breaks (19%), culture and heritage (18%), as well as travellers seeking sun and beach (18%).
When it comes to experiences, travellers are most looking forward to enjoying natural landscapes (19%), gastronomy (16%) and diving into local culture (15%) during their next trip in Europe.
City breaks are especially popular for travellers across October and November (23%), while culture and heritage getaways are favoured during February to March. In both instances, travellers typically budget between €501 to €1,000 (30% and 28%) across a four to six nights' stay (39% and 46%).
Europeans may also travel more frequently. Over the next six months, 56% of respondents plan to take between two and three or more trips within Europe, while only planning one trip has fallen from 45% in 2025 to 38% in 2026.
Stays between four to six nights remain the popular year-on-year option (43%), while longer stays of seven to 12 nights have risen slightly from 30% in 2025 to 32% this year. Meanwhile, trips budgeted at up to €500 have fallen by 3% to 13%, as most respondents (27%) intended to spend between €501 and €1,000.
Travel planning and top European destinations
What’s on the travel horizon for autumn and winter? Here is where travellers plan to visit, based on the total sample, without reference to domestic trips, according to the ETC report:
Where Austrian travellers plan to visit
- Germany: 16%
- Italy: 14%
- Spain: 9%
- Croatia: 6%
- Greece: 4%
Where Belgian travellers plan to visit
- France: 20%
- Spain: 11%
- Netherlands: 8%
- Italy: 8%
- Germany: 6%
Where British travellers plan to visit
- Spain: 12%
- France: 11%
- Italy: 9%
- Greece: 7% Germany: 6%
Where Dutch travellers plan to visit
- Spain: 16%
- Germany: 14%
- France: 9%
- Belgium: 9%
- Italy: 7%
Where French travellers plan to visit
- Italy: 15%
- Spain: 11%
- Portugal: 7%
- Greece: 6%
- UK: 6%
Where German travellers plan to visit
- Austria: 11%
- Spain: 10%
- Italy: 8%
- France: 8%
- Netherlands: 7%
Where Italian travellers plan to visit
- France: 14%
- Spain: 12%
- UK: 7%
- Austria: 7%
- Germany: 7%
Where Polish travellers plan to visit
- Italy: 13%
- Germany: 9%
- Spain: 8%
- Czechia: 7%
- Austria: 4%
Where Spanish travellers plan to visit
- France: 17%
- Italy: 13%
- UK: 10%
- Germany: 8%
- Portugal: 7%
Where Swiss travellers plan to visit
- France: 14%
- Italy: 14%
- Germany: 12%
- Austria: 7%
- Spain: 7%
