The majority of Americans (61 percent) who have plans to visit Europe this year intend to follow through with their travels despite the war in Ukraine, according to a recent survey by MMGY Travel Intelligence.
While a majority of those with plans to visit Europe intend to stay the course, one in three say the war will affect which countries they visit. In addition, just about one-quarter (23 percent) of those with plans intend to wait and see how the situation evolves before finalizing their plans, whereas 10 percent are likely to delay/reschedule and 7 percent are likely to cancel.
Chris Davidson, EVP of MMGY Travel Intelligence, said in a press release, “While the war in Ukraine is clearly a top-of-mind concern for many travelers, it does not appear that it will ultimately deter a majority of Americans from visiting Europe. This is especially true of travel to Western European destinations that are perceived to be a bit more geographically removed from the conflict.”
Since the first wave of the study in March, traveler concerns about the conflict spreading to other parts of Europe have declined (62 percent to 54 percent), while concerns about the rising cost of travel have increased (32 percent to 38 percent) Of all respondents, four out of 10 (37 percent) attribute the rising cost of domestic air travel to the war in Ukraine.
The war has also increased Americans’ concerns about travel safety in Europe (58 percent of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed). For many, it is also increasing their travel safety concerns in regard to travel to international destinations other than Europe (45 percent) and even travel within the U.S. (27 percent). Americans are more likely to consider Eastern European countries less safe than countries in Western Europe. Among those who have a trip planned, Poland, Germany and Austria are the countries outside of Ukraine and Russia perceived to be less safe as a result of the war.
Source: MMGY Travel Intelligence
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