Europeans are organising more and more via the Internet in preparing their holidays, with 57 percent of them claiming to reserve mainly via the Internet, according to a study.

Published: 20 May 2011

Europeans are organising more and more via the Internet in preparing their holidays, with 57 percent of them claiming to reserve mainly via the Internet, according to a study.

According to 11th Ipsos - Europ Assistance holiday barometer, the British are still the most technophile: 71 percent of them reserve their holidays using this channel.

As for Smartphones, their use is clearly progressing: 1 European out of 4 claims to own one.

While 57 percent claim to use it less on holiday than during the rest of the year, a sign of the desire to “disconnect”, the device can find a new purpose during the holidays.

Hence, one third of Europeans (34 percent) would find it useful to have access to practical information for the organisation of their stay, and more than half of them (52 percent) would find it helpful to be able to consult a list of useful numbers during their trip, 42 percent a conversation guide, and 34 percent a telephone platform facilitating their stay.

Evolving behaviour

Despite the crisis, Europeans are keeping their holidays, although adopting new types of behaviour.

Europeans are not giving up on their holidays. But they are adapting to the situation by leaving for a shorter period and several times over. Two-week stays are still favoured (39 percent of Europeans will leave for a fortnight) but their proportion is diminishing. In France and the UK, only one-week stays are on the rise in 2011.

The crisis has accentuated the lasting adoption of new types of behaviour. Nowadays, holidays are organised in advance, and independently: 71 percent of Europeans started to prepare their holidays ahead of time, and the same figure organise themselves by buying separate services. Europeans are increasingly inclined to organise their own holidays, especially the French (78 percent, +5 points).