Italy and Croatia are top destinations for Austrians – 57 percent travel abroad.

As part of the ÖAMTC travel monitoring, 1.000 people, representative of the Austrian population, were asked about their vacation plans, the type of trips planned and changes in travel behavior due to current developments. "Despite inflation, the desire to travel among Austrians is high again this year: 78 percent are planning a summer vacation, only nine percent have no plans to travel - 13 percent are still undecided," says Yvette Polasek, ÖAMTC travel expert.

Young travelers tend to spend more money on vacations - families have less budget available

Half of the vacationers surveyed stated that they plan a similar budget as usual, with young travelers in particular tending to want to spend more money this year. The average holiday budget for the summer of 2023 is around 1.070 euros per capita. “Despite the burden of inflation, 22 percent stated that they had a higher budget at their disposal – but 22 percent also had less money for travel. Travelers in the 60+ age group plan with an above-average budget, whereas families with children estimate around 260 euros less per capita than the average population,” explains Polasek. Due to the current inflation, 36 percent of those surveyed are adjusting their travel behavior accordingly: they switch to the off-season, choose cheaper accommodation and destinations or only travel within Austria.

Holidays by the sea - Italy and Croatia are top travel destinations abroad

Almost 60 percent of those surveyed want to spend their summer vacation by the sea. One in four travelers would like to go on holiday at a lake, in the mountains or in a city. Most of all, Austrians look forward to enjoying the sun on vacation, letting their souls dangle and spending time with their loved ones. “Even more than in previous years, travelers are drawn to the beach in summer this year – so it comes as little surprise that Italy is Austria’s favorite holiday destination. Croatia follows in second place and Germany is in third place,” says the mobility club’s travel expert. 42 percent of those surveyed are planning a holiday within Austria – the federal states of Styria and Carinthia are particularly popular for “holidays at home”, i.e. in their own country.

Families use private cars – single travelers increasingly use the train

How Austrians get to their holiday destination depends heavily on whether you are traveling alone or with your family. Families with children use their private cars more often for their summer vacations, while single travelers travel by car only half as often. More than a third (37 percent) of those traveling alone go on holiday by train. “Compared to previous years, the plane remains just as popular as a means of travel: 33 percent of those surveyed fly on summer vacation. Car travel is losing popularity and rail travel is slightly gaining popularity,” Polasek summarizes the results.

Solo travelers and older vacationers in particular pay attention to sustainability

The topic of sustainability is also playing an increasingly important role in holiday planning and travel behavior - more than a third of the holidaymakers surveyed attach great importance to sustainability when traveling. “If attention is paid to sustainability, the respondents state that they are changing the type of travel above all: 41 percent of this group travel by train or long-distance bus instead of by plane and car. Attention to sustainability increases with age and solo travelers in particular pay more attention to making their vacation more sustainable,” concludes Polasek.