About 80 percent of Europeans this year, intends to travel on holiday, usually within their own country and Croatia is among the top few most desirable destinations outside the EU, according to a special Eurobarometer survey published recently in Brussels.
The study was conducted in 27 member countries and also Croatia, Norway, Iceland, Turkey and Macedonia. 30,000 randomly selected citizens aged over 15 were interviewed. Of the total number of respondents, 80 percent intend to travel. Half of those who will travel will spend their holiday in their own country, and in 17 of the 32 countries where the research was conducted, among the top three most desired destinations, there is just one outside the EU.
Only 20 percent of respondents reported that they almost certainly would not travel this year, which is considerably less than last year when it was 33 percent. Croatia is among the top three most popular destinations in seven countries – the Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria, Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia and Norway. In Slovenia, Croatia in the first place, and this year 30 percent of Slovenes intend to visit. In Norway and Slovakia Croatia is in second place and in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria and Poland it is in third place.
As for Croats, 78 percent intend to spend their holidays in their own country, 3 percent in Italy, and 2 percent in Spain. In only four countries included in the research - Slovenia, Malta, Luxembourg and Ireland - in the first place is a foreign rather than domestic destination. The most popular destination is Spain in general, followed by France and Italy.
Most EU citizens, 57 percent, put traditional tourist destinations in first place, while 28 percent preferred a new, unusual destination. A little less than half the respondents, 46 percent of them, considered to have sufficient funds to finance their holiday, which is five percent higher than in 2009 and 10 percent, the same as last year, said that they have serious financial problems that could affect their holiday plans. For 37 percent the main motive for travelling is "rest and recreation", 19 percent "sun and beach" and 17 percent "visiting friends and relatives".
Tourism is a major service industry in the European Union with 5 percent of GDP and 6 percent of employees.
European Commission Public Opinion
http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion