Europe’s new appetite for business, leisure travel creates opportunity
With mobility, sustainability and opportunity taking centre stage as the three key themes at Expo 2020 Dubai, new data from Europe indicates an increased appetite for air travel and a growing interest in greener ways to get from A to B
Just a few weeks ago, Euronews, Europe’s leading international news channel, commissioned Redfield & Wilton Strategies to survey 1,500 Europeans in France, Germany and Italy about their mobility and travel plans as part of our Mobility Week programming, which will become an annual fixture in our schedules. The results were insightful. The findings demonstrate a pent-up demand for mobility as we all look to move more freely again thanks to the success of the vaccination rollouts, and to visiting those people and places we may not have been able to see over the last 18 months.
As Expo opens its doors and welcomes the world to Dubai, the research indicates that among many Europeans, there is an increased appetite not just for leisure travel – which is something most of us expected – but also for business travel, a sector that took a heavy hit during the pandemic and had a particularly significant impact on the aviation sector.
That’s why our findings should be seen as a source for optimism for the region’s airline industry. When we asked Europeans if they thought they were more or less likely to travel by airline for business purposes over the next two years than they were two years ago, two in five (41 percent) said they were ‘more likely’ or ‘significantly more likely’ to travel by air for business than they were pre-pandemic. This number was even higher than it was for leisure travel, which saw just over a third (35 percent) expressing a greater likelihood for flying for holidays than in 2019.
It’s not just a good sign for aviation. With Expo 2020 Dubai now underway and the winter season of events kicking off across the region, I’m sure this information will be welcomed by all of those in the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) sector in the Gulf.
A historic meeting point between East and West, connecting global businesses and facilitating trade and commerce has always been a strength of the region, and with international trade returning to growth, business events in the Gulf will no doubt reclaim their status as the most relevant and valued networking events across key industry sectors.
And it seems that Expo’s themes of mobility, sustainability and opportunity have never been more relevant. Because when it comes to travel, there is a clear desire among Europeans for more sustainable journeys. One in four (24 percent) said that the environmental effects of a journey made an impact on their decisions both in terms of how they travel – whether by car, rail or air – and how often they travel.
With an increased consciousness of our own personal impact on the world, we are changing our behaviours on everything from single plastic use, to how often we eat meat, to the brands we choose to purchase. That’s why it should come as no surprise that there is also a willingness to pay a little extra to make our journeys more sustainable.
This comes through clearly in our research findings. When looking at air travel, there’s a notable appetite for carbon offsetting – which allows travellers to pay a fee to support projects that neutralise the environmental impacts of their flights. More than a third of Europeans (37 per cent) said they would be more likely to choose to travel by air if they could make carbon offsets. While all of the region’s airlines have committed to significant investments on their own environmental programmes, it’s clear that their passengers are willing to make similar investments of their own.
So, it seems Expo 2020 Dubai has hit upon the perfect formula: mobility + sustainability = opportunity. It’s a simple piece of arithmetic that those in aviation and events would do well to follow to unlock those opportunities from European business and leisure travellers. Because according to our data, they seem to be keener than ever to travel beyond their borders and uncover new opportunities of their own.
Christian Kachacha, regional head, Middle East at Euronews.
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By Christian Kachacha
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Europe’s new appetite for business, leisure travel creates opportunity
With mobility, sustainability and opportunity taking centre stage as the three key themes at Expo 2020 Dubai, new data from Europe indicates an increased appetite for air travel and a growing interest in greener ways to get from A to B
Just a few weeks ago, Euronews, Europe’s leading international news channel, commissioned Redfield & Wilton Strategies to survey 1,500 Europeans in France, Germany and Italy about their mobility and travel plans as part of our Mobility Week programming, which will become an annual fixture in our schedules. The results were insightful. The findings demonstrate a pent-up demand for mobility as we all look to move more freely again thanks to the success of the vaccination rollouts, and to visiting those people and places we may not have been able to see over the last 18 months.
As Expo opens its doors and welcomes the world to Dubai, the research indicates that among many Europeans, there is an increased appetite not just for leisure travel – which is something most of us expected – but also for business travel, a sector that took a heavy hit during the pandemic and had a particularly significant impact on the aviation sector.
That’s why our findings should be seen as a source for optimism for the region’s airline industry. When we asked Europeans if they thought they were more or less likely to travel by airline for business purposes over the next two years than they were two years ago, two in five (41 percent) said they were ‘more likely’ or ‘significantly more likely’ to travel by air for business than they were pre-pandemic. This number was even higher than it was for leisure travel, which saw just over a third (35 percent) expressing a greater likelihood for flying for holidays than in 2019.
It’s not just a good sign for aviation. With Expo 2020 Dubai now underway and the winter season of events kicking off across the region, I’m sure this information will be welcomed by all of those in the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) sector in the Gulf.
A historic meeting point between East and West, connecting global businesses and facilitating trade and commerce has always been a strength of the region, and with international trade returning to growth, business events in the Gulf will no doubt reclaim their status as the most relevant and valued networking events across key industry sectors.
And it seems that Expo’s themes of mobility, sustainability and opportunity have never been more relevant. Because when it comes to travel, there is a clear desire among Europeans for more sustainable journeys. One in four (24 percent) said that the environmental effects of a journey made an impact on their decisions both in terms of how they travel – whether by car, rail or air – and how often they travel.
With an increased consciousness of our own personal impact on the world, we are changing our behaviours on everything from single plastic use, to how often we eat meat, to the brands we choose to purchase. That’s why it should come as no surprise that there is also a willingness to pay a little extra to make our journeys more sustainable.
This comes through clearly in our research findings. When looking at air travel, there’s a notable appetite for carbon offsetting – which allows travellers to pay a fee to support projects that neutralise the environmental impacts of their flights. More than a third of Europeans (37 per cent) said they would be more likely to choose to travel by air if they could make carbon offsets. While all of the region’s airlines have committed to significant investments on their own environmental programmes, it’s clear that their passengers are willing to make similar investments of their own.
So, it seems Expo 2020 Dubai has hit upon the perfect formula: mobility + sustainability = opportunity. It’s a simple piece of arithmetic that those in aviation and events would do well to follow to unlock those opportunities from European business and leisure travellers. Because according to our data, they seem to be keener than ever to travel beyond their borders and uncover new opportunities of their own.
Christian Kachacha, regional head, Middle East at Euronews.
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