Travel is booming despite global uncertainty and climate concerns

By exploring how people plan and experience holidays, the Europ Assistance Holiday Barometer, conducted with the support of Ipsos for over 20 years, offers a unique and forward-looking snapshot of our changing societies. Despite global uncertainty, rising geopolitical tensions, and environmental concerns, travel intentions are hitting record highs. The desire to escape is stronger than ever. But safety now tops the list of concerns. Perceptions of political instability and social unrest increasingly shape where, and whether, people choose to travel.

This Barometer offers a powerful lens on our world while capturing how we envision, plan, and embark on our holidays.

Political unrest and climate paradoxes shaping travel decisions

The 2025 Holiday Barometer underscores how travelers today are navigating a delicate balance between wanderlust and global awareness, highlighting the growing prominence of a trend first observed last year: alongside the perennial favorites of pleasant weather and familiar landscapes, travelers are increasingly factoring personal safety and global events into their travel decisions.

Safety: A key criterion in choosing destinations

Safety and political climate have become major concerns for travelers, reaching unprecedented levels in Europe and North America, where 32% of travelers cite safety as the primary criterion for choosing a destination, compared to 23% in 2021.

The spectrum of war increasingly casts a shadow over travel decisions, and last year’s growing unease about armed conflicts in destination countries has not only been confirmed but has also tripled since 2023:

• Europe: 57% of travelers consider this risk essential (compared to 21% in 2023).
• North America: 48% (compared to 16% in 2023).
• Australia: 49% (compared to 17% in 2023).

Beyond conflict zones, travelers are also worried about the political climate and social unrest in certain destinations. Destinations facing political upheaval or strained diplomatic relations are prominently featured, with a significant new entrant: the United States. Among travelers factoring political climate in their destination choices, alongside Russia, Ukraine and Israel, the United States now ranks among the top five countries that travelers could avoid : in 2025, 17 out of the 23 countries cite the USA in the top five destinations they could avoid due to the political climate, while they were only 8 in 2024. However, this perception does not necessarily translate into a decline in travel to the United States: there is no significant drop in the actual choice of this destination.

Purchasing power: The main driver of travel ambitions

Financial constraints remain the leading barrier to travel, far surpassing safety concerns. In North America, 63% of non-travelers cite cost as the main obstacle, compared to 53% in North Asia. The issue is particularly pronounced in the UK (66%) and Portugal (70%).

Despite economic constraints, the average summer vacation budget in Europe reaches €2,080 in 2025, an increase of €162 compared to 2023. Nearly half of Europeans (47%) plan to increase their vacation budget this year. 

Budgets vary by region:

• Western Europe: €2,532
• Southern Europe: €1,662
• Eastern Europe: €1,429
• Oceania: €2,967
• North America: €2,561

Environment: a contradictory gap between travelers’ intentions and behaviors

Most travelers say they want to support local economies (at least 80% across regions), use low-carbon transport (at least two thirds of respondents across regions) and choose closer destinations to reduce their footprint (from 55% in Oceania to 82% in India). Yet when selecting a destination, environmental impact ranks lowest among decision factors — a trend unchanged in Europe since 2019.

The gap between intention and action is notable: air travel is at a four-year high of 50%. At the same time, climate-related concerns are rising. 40% of Europeans now worry about natural disasters during their trips — nearly double the 2022 figure — that could potentially lead them to avoid certain destinations affected by extreme weather in the future.

In short, travelers are more focused on avoiding climate-related disruptions than reducing their own ecological impact.

And still, the irresistible appeal of travel

At peak travel desire: Faraway destinations lead

Despite global uncertainties and rising geopolitical tensions, travel intentions are at an all-time high. In Europe, 79% of residents plan to travel this summer, an historic record. In North America, 71% of respondents share this intention, demonstrating sustained enthusiasm despite the international context. Among these travelers, younger generations (under 35) stand out for their enthusiasm: 85% of young Europeans plan to travel this summer, and 41% of them are planning multiple trips.

Travelers are also increasingly drawn to vacations far from their home countries. In North America, trips to Europe are on the rise (+13 points since 2017) and represent one-third of already planned trips, while Asia (15%, +8 points since 2017) and Africa (10%, +6 points) are increasingly attracting European travelers.

International travel is favored by most summer travelers, exceeding pre-pandemic levels, confirming an appetite for escape and discovery.

Ideal vacations focused on creating memorable experiences

Beyond the motivations of relaxation, family time, and discovery, a new dimension seems to be emerging: the experiential aspect of travel and the creation of lasting memories.  In a newly introduced survey question about the most valued aspects of travel, over 4 respondents out of 10 across all geographic regions highlighted "making memories." This underscores a shift in travel priorities, where the focus is not just on visiting a place, but on creating meaningful experiences and memories that enrich one's life. In addition, 40% highlight discovering new cultures and gastronomy.

City trips are gaining popularity

While seaside vacations remain the preferred choice for Europeans (63%), city trips are gaining popularity, reaching 28%, with steady growth over the past 10 years. Outside Europe, city trips remain highly popular in North Asia (60%) and the Middle East (51%). 

View the results of all the Travel Barometer Surveys

About the survey

The 2025 edition of the Europ Assistance Holiday Barometer was conducted with the support of Ipsos in 23 markets including the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Italy, France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Portugal, Belgium, Poland, Czech Republic, Malaysia, Australia, Hong Kong S.A.R., Japan, Singapore, India, Saudi Arabia, United Arab countries, South Korea and New Zealand. In each country, 1,000 consumers aged 18 years and older took part in an online questionnaire. Each sample was put together using the quota method (gender, age, profession) after stratification by region and by city size. The survey was conducted between February 24th and March 26th and investigated consumers’ holiday plans and travel preferences.