How Italians’ travel habits change

Thanks to the improvement in the pandemic situation, travel is making a comeback, both for holidays and for work. But many things are different than in the pre-pandemic. How have Italians’ behaviors towards travel changed? This was revealed by the EY “Future Travel Behavior” observatory carried out on a sample of over 1,000 subjects. The results, obtained both with explicit surveys and through cognitive neuroscience techniques, made it possible to identify the intentions and attitudes of Italians in 2022 and to outline new traveler profiles. “The results of the Observatory highlight how the habits of travelers are constantly changing, also accelerated by the impact of the pandemic, and guided by new drivers in which environmental sustainability plays a central role in travel choices. Travelers have been able to adapt to the pandemic scenario by evolving their preferences and travel habits, but it will be essential for mobility, tourism and travel operators to anticipate what will be the new trends that will guide travel choices “, comments Claudio d ‘ Angelo, Transportation Market Segment Leader of EY in Italy. In 2021, over 80% of Italians resumed traveling for vacation reasons. The declared intentions for 2022 also confirm the trend: 60% say they want to return to pre-pandemic travel habits and 1 in 4 even want to increase the number of trips. Two out of three respondents say they want to travel to our country, while 6% of Italians plan to work remotely in a holiday resort, according to the social trend known as workation. the private car is always in first place both for going on vacation (64% of the sample) and for business trips (60%). Among the factors that most influence the choices of travelers, comfort and price remain in the first places, but as many as 74% of those interviewed state that they have made travel choices with an eye to the environment. In terms of transport, the plane is perceived as a less eco-sustainable vehicle, with a relative growing attention to initiatives to reduce the environmental impact of this type of travel: for example, 2/3 of the interviewees are willing to pay a surcharge to guarantee offsetting the CO2 emissions of their medium and long-haul trips. If from the analysis of explicit choices it emerges that 46% consider the impact of their choices on the environment to be important or very important, the implicit tests confirm the growth of anxiety towards environmental problems, highlighted in 75% of the sample (it was 67 % in the last edition) Compared to 2020, the percentage of those who declared that they have not made any trips decreased by almost 10 points, while the percentage of those who traveled more than 5 times a year doubled. For those who have started traveling again, Italy remains the favorite destination of 67% of the sample, but the percentage of those wishing to spend their holidays abroad is also increasing (33%). Our country is also the preferred destination for business trips: 89% against 11% who imagine having to spend a period abroad for professional reasons. The data collected by the EY Observatory highlighted profound changes in the underlying motivations travel choices with a strong push towards increasingly diversified and personal experiences. There are 8 different representative profiles of travelers in 2022, which take into account personal characteristics, travel behavior and preferences, explicit intentions and reasons detected with implicit analysis. The most numerous profile is that of Potential Frequent Travelers (20% of the sample, + 2% compared to 2020) or those who intend to increase their travels in 2022 both for holidays and for work. Reluctant Travelers (+ 3%), who will continue to limit travel, and Health and Environmental Concerned Travelers (+ 1%), which do not intend to increase the number of trips due to health and environmental concerns, are also growing .