76% of Europeans plan to travel this autumn or winter – here’s where they want to go

New data has found that 76% of Europeans plan to take an overnight trip between October 2026 and March 2027 – a 3% increase compared to last year.According to the latest Monitoring Sentiment for Intra-European Travel Autumn and Winter 2026/2027 report, issued by the European Travel Commission (ETC), city breaks, culture trips and festive getaways are driving the demand.Based on an online survey of 6,000 respondents from Germany, United Kingdom, France, Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, Poland and Austria, who had taken at least two overnight trips during the last three years, travel intentions are expected to peak around Christmas time, with 23% of respondents planning a trip during the festive period.Visiting friends and family is a strong motivation for December travel according to 34% of respondents – compared with 10% across other months. After a dip in January, travel is expected to pick up again across February and March (29%).“It is particularly encouraging to see an increase in intention during February and March, typically quieter periods of the year, as well as a growing interest in off-the-beaten-track destinations,” Eduardo Santander, Chief Executive Officer of the ETC, said.“These two trends combined could be leveraged to reduce tourism congestion and create new opportunities for local businesses in established and developing destinations alike.”The report also found that single-destination stays remain the trip…