The attitude of Europeans and Slovenes towards tourism

The European Commission has, for the fourth time in a row, published the Eurobarometer report on the attitude of Europeans towards tourism. In 2011, 72% of EU tourists went travelling, while more than 80% answered that they will continue to travel in 2012 either on short or long journeys. The Eurobarometer results also indicate that in 2012 more citizens of EU countries have decided to go on vacation inside Europe. How do Slovenians travel?

In 2011, 83% of inhabitants of Slovenia went travelling (+7% with regard to the research carried out in February 2011 for 2010). Following are some of the key characteristics of their travels.

Reasons for travelling – half with the motif of rest and recreation, only one fifth with the motif of towns
The main motif for travelling was rest and recreation (49%), followed by the sea/coast (37%), while slightly fewer decide to go sightseeing in towns (19%). There are also other motives, such as spending time with family/friends (18%), visiting nature sights (14%), taking part in sports activities (10%) and culture/religion (5%).

Organisation of travels – one third of Slovenians organise their travels through agencies
In 2011, the Internet was the main tool for the reservation of vacations (25%); 33% of inhabitants of Slovenia organised their travels through tourist agencies (ranked in 5th place among the EU27). The third place is occupied by organising vacations through someone you know (25%). The most important source of information are friends/acquaintances/family (56%), followed by personal experience (42%) and internet (26%).

Destinations – one third is home, while two thirds are outside the EU (influence of Croatia)
33% of the inhabitants of Slovenia spent at least 4 nights during their holidays inside Slovenia; 36% travelled inside the EU and 69% in countries outside the EU. The six most visited European countries by the inhabitants of Slovenia are Italy (11%), Austria (7%), Germany (6%), France and Greece (5%) and Spain (4%).

Transport – Slovenians leading with regard to using the car
The inhabitants of Slovenia have chosen to travel by plane at least once in order to arrive at their travel destination in 2011 (26%), whereby train was used by 10% and car/motorbike by 92%, which ranks Slovenia in the first place with regard to using the car as transport means.

Reasons for staying home – personal reasons rank highest (first place in the EU)
In 2011, 37% of inhabitants of Slovenia decided not to travel due to financial reasons (-2% with regard to the results in 2011; the EU average is 45%, +2% with regard to 2011) and 34% due to personal reasons (+11% with regard to 2011, first place in the EU (EU average 23%).

Travel plans in 2012 - More than half of the population (the most in the EU, besides Great Britain) is planning a longer journey
Despite the current economic situation, 53% of the inhabitants of Slovenia will travel in 2012. 33% will travel; however, they have already changed their plans. 8% will not travel due to the current economic situation, while 6% still aren`t sure whether or not they will travel.

55% of the interviewed inhabitants of Slovenia are planning a longer vacation (from 4 to 13 nights; along with Great Britain, the most among EU countries), 22% a shorter vacation (up to 3 overnight stays) and 17% a vacation longer than 13 nights. 30% of travellers will spend their holiday in Slovenia (EU average 52%), 25% in EU countries (EU average: 37%) and 55% outside the EU (the most in the EU (with the influence of Croatia), EU average 23%).

The summary of the report is available here.

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