Results of the first European inquiry among citizens about their holiday plans 2009

Brussels, 20th March 2009

Over 27,000 randomly selected citizens aged 15 and over, were interviewed in February 2009 in the 27 EU Member States. For the first time the Commission has done such an extensive survey, which offers to all tourism stakeholders a wealth of information, presented analytically by country and demographic categories. At least 50% of EU citizens travel each year, in the majority of the EU countries this percentage is even higher, and nearly three-quarters of citizens take at least one trip per annum.
Commission Vice-President Günter Verheugen, responsible for Enterprise and Industry, said: "The results are very encouraging and confirm the robustness of the European tourism industry. I am happy that most citizens can afford holidays and will enjoy the deserved rest."
More information:
The full report on the Eurobarometer survey on ‘the attitudes of Europeans towards tourism’ is published at:
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/tourism/index_en.htm