More than half of Europeans “feel positive” about taking a summer holiday this year and only about one in four (27%) reluctant to travel in the next six months, according to a European Travel Commission (ETC) survey.
A majority of respondents (56%) in the ETC survey reported they will go on holiday by the end of August either domestically or to another European country.
Almost half (48%) of the 5,800-plus respondents reported a sense of optimism about planning a trip following the roll-out of Covid-19 vaccinations in Europe.
Surprisingly, optimism in relation to the vaccination roll-out was lower in the UK at 43% than in Germany (50%), Italy (59%) and Spain (54%).
Only one in five respondents (21%) across the 10 major travel markets surveyed said they were not optimistic about travelling.
Almost half (46%) those planning to travel in the next six months said they were targeting July and August, with 29% intending to take a trip in May or June.
One in five of those planning to travel said their priority was a sun and beach holiday, but 30% identified this as a priority in the UK.
Just 2% said they were planning to travel exclusively for business.
The results led the ETC to suggest: “Travel sentiment is warming up, but Europeans are concerned about getting the most out of their holidays.”
Quarantine restrictions were the main concern among prospective travellers with 16% saying quarantine measures during the trip caused them most worry.
However, 11% identified limitations on activities in destinations, including closed restaurants and bars, as their main concern.
The survey found “a heightened sense of caution about visiting bars and restaurants” in destinations, with 13% of respondents saying these could pose a risk to health.
And despite little evidence of a risk of Covid-19 infection when flying, one in six respondents (17%) identified air travel as a health risk.
Respondents in Poland (79%) and Italy (64%) recorded the greatest desire to take a holiday overseas or domestically by the end of August, followed by Austria (57%), German and the Netherlands (56%).
Spain was the most popular destination across Europe, followed by Italy, France and Greece.
The Commission runs a rolling survey of travel sentiment in 10 source markets – Germany, the UK, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, Poland and Austria.
The latest ETC Monitoring Sentiment for Domestic and Intra-European Travel survey was conducted in February among 5,837 respondents.