September 7th, 2022, Janice Fernandes
This year, the travel industry saw a surge in people wanting to see more of the world after two years of limited travel. Data from YouGov Global Travel Profiles reveals that, in August 2022, over six in ten global respondents (64%) intend to go on a leisure trip in the next 12 months. But do they like going to places within the country they live in – or are they looking for more unfamiliar experiences?
According to the latest data from YouGov Global Profiles, nearly half of overall respondents (47%) prefer holidaying in their own country or region to going abroad.
Looking at individual markets, with nearly three-quarters (73%) of consumers saying they prefer holidaying within their country, Mexico leads the list. Significantly fewer, but still over half of Americans (56%) prefer vacationing in their own country. However, only a third of Canadians (32%) prefer travelling within their country. They are as likely to disagree with the statement, suggesting a preference for travelling outside of the country (32%).
The easy connectivity between European countries might contribute to the lower share of consumers in the continent who say they like to holiday in the country/region they live in rather than abroad. All markets in this region register less than the global audience with Spain and Germany (40% each) registering the highest figure. Consumers in Germany and Great Britain are more likely to disagree with the statement (43% each), indicating that they prefer travelling abroad for their holiday.
Consumers in a few Asian countries are more likely to pick holidays within their own country rather than travelling abroad – India (51%), Thailand (50%). However, consumers in smaller places like Hong Kong (26%) and Singapore (15%) are the least likely to agree, with over half the population in Singapore disagreeing with the statement (54%).
Do these consumers prefer going back to the same places on holiday?
Nearly half of consumers who prefer to holiday in the country/region they live in usually go back to the same places (47%)- suggesting a preference for tried and tested domestic locations. Most of the 43 markets in this segment register over 50% of consumers who say they usually travel to the same places on holiday.
Germans are split in their travel preferences within the country/region. While 47% of consumers usually go back to the same places on holiday, 45% would consider visiting different places in their country. The French and Britons register a third of consumers (30%) who disagree with the statement.
Outside of Europe, most countries register around a quarter of consumers who don’t prefer visiting the same place on holiday – US (26%), India (26%) and Australia (25%).
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Methodology: YouGov Global Profiles is a globally consistent audience dataset with 1000+ questions across 43 markets. The data is based on continuously collected data from adults aged 16+ years in China and 18+ years in other markets. The sample sizes for YouGov Global Profiles will fluctuate over time, however the minimum sample size is always c.1000. Data from each market uses a nationally representative sample apart from India and UAE, which use urban representative samples, and China, Egypt, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Morocco, Philippines, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam, which use online representative samples. Learn more about Global Profiles.