Italians' holidays change between advance bookings and consumer credit

The numbers are positive, with a 5% growth in turnover for summer 2024. This is what emerges from the Astoi Confindustria Viaggi Observatory - the Association of Italian Tour Operating - which provides an overview of booking trends in the summer, purchasing behaviour and the preferences of Italians in their choice of travel and holidays. The year 2024 began under the banner of advance bookings, which proved to be the preferred formula, while to pay for holidays people are resorting to consumer credit and buy now pay later, which allows payments to be deferred without interest.

Between last December and February, agencies did a lot of work with bookings driven by advance booking. From Carnival to May, demand dropped and then picked up again in June. Costs increased by around 5% and prices reflected these increases. There is growing demand from high-skilled customers who book well in advance, are well informed about destinations, and demand constant assistance, itineraries and novel experiences. Families have also been anticipating, but their reduced spending capacity has translated into more accessible destinations, slightly lower hotel categories, reduced length of stay, and deseasonalisation, with an increase in bookings in June and September, when prices are cheaper. The average expenditure per person is around 920 euros for short and medium haul in "No Frills" format and 1,140 euros with club and village formats; as regards long haul 2,400 euros for beach holidays with club and village formats and 3,600 euros for tailor-made trips. The average duration of holidays booked by Italians in summer 2024 is 8.5 days for beach holidays and 11 days for tours and itinerant trips.

With regard to air transport, the high cost of flights is an inevitable consequence of the delayed delivery of aircraft by manufacturers and the increase in operating costs, from maintenance to overflight charges, not least the cost of fuel. In the summer, families and couples are the main travellers, although there is an increase in requests from individual travellers who choose group trips with an accompanying person, also because they offer among the pluses the sharing of experiences and affinity of interests. Demand for club holidays remains strong; however, there is a large increase in bookings for tours and itinerant trips with experiences within circuits. On the other hand, the demand for supplementary services and opportunities for discovery in the area is also increasing in clubs. Travellers today want to open themselves up to the world, meet local people, get in touch with the local culture through authentic experiences, often linked to personal passions and interests.

"Bookings for the summer of 2024 are growing for all our members, with an average increase of 5%," explained Pier Ezhaya, President of Astoi Confindustria Viaggi. "Overall, a positive trend is emerging, marked by a significant advance in bookings. Travellers are looking for more and more flexibility and experiences, a sign that demand is constantly evolving and tour operators are working to meet new needs and requirements. Even the 'education' sector, an important segment of the market, confirms the good trend and an adjustment of the offer, by our members, for study holidays that combine language courses with experiences and contact with the territory".

In Italy, the most popular destinations are Sardinia, Sicily, Calabria and Apulia. In particular, for Sardinia, the most desired island, high prices have so far slowed down bookings in August. The Mediterranean benefits from the downturn recorded by Egypt, in favour of greater flows towards Greece, the Balearic Islands and Tunisia. Northern Europe, particularly Iceland and Norway, attracts many travellers who opt for itinerant trips and intense contact with nature.As for medium-haul, the Red Sea remains a popular destination, even though the conflict in the Middle East has led to a 20% drop in bookings compared with summer 2023, in favour of Cape Verde and the Mediterranean, which are gaining market share.Long-haul sees the United States, Japan, Indonesia and East Africa with Tanzania, Kenya and Madagascar in the lead. In a sort of ranking, Japan and East Africa see a boom in demand, compared to declining destinations such as Jordan and Israel. The summer season is traditionally the most popular for cruises with an average duration of one week. Western Mediterranean stands out among the favourite destinations, followed by the Eastern Mediterranean, with Greece as the favourite destination, as well as cruises in Northern Europe, which include the Norwegian fjords, or two- or three-week cruises to the Lofoten Islands, Greenland, Iceland and the UK.