Infrastructure: GfK Survey: Places where Romanians flew this summer

Italy, France and Spain are places where three quarters of the Romanians who organized their travels on eSky.ro spent their summer vacations. These three countries were closely followed by Greece and Turkey, while USA and Malta went up in the classification compared to 2022. Portugal was left behind.   On the average, 19% more money was paid for low cost flights compared to the previous year , while full service flights were 15% more expensive than in 2022. Early bookings were made, 40-45 days in advance, compared to the same period of last year.   According to the GfK survey made in May for eSky,ro, up to 82% of Romanians who planned a holiday in 2023 went abroad.   This year, the top of Romanians' holiday preferences did not change, the most popular flights being to Milan, Rome, Venice, Bologna, Naples and Catania in Italy, and Paris and Nice in France. Italy's share in Top 10 of the most popular summer destinations grew by 1.6% every year and has reached now 44%. France won more during this period, its share in the top growing by 2.5% and reaching 17% of bookings analysed.   Spain ranked third, with Barcelona and Madrid at the top. That destination represents about 15% of bookings made this summer, with a drop of 3.5% from one year to another. Greece, with flights to Athens, Thessaloniki and Corfu had a kower performance this year, ranking 4th in the top, after a 2% drop compared to 2022. On the other hand, Turkey, with most flights to Istanbul ranks 5th with 6%.   “According to the results of our survey made in collaboration with GfK, the Romanians take into account how attractive the detination is (60%), weather (48%) and the way in which they spend time there (36%). Moreover, more people prefer trips organized independently, as they see a way of saving a considerable amount of money, especially in an inflation period of two figures,” said Debiz Rymkiewicz, spokesperson for eSky Group.   Cyprus, USA and Israel have also consolidated their positions in the 2023 top, ranking 6th, 7th and 8th in the top of the most popular holiday destinations for Romanians this summer. Their share in the total number of holiday bookings amounts to 5%.   Malta and Portugal end the classification, representing together 1.5% of holiday bookings on eSky.ro. Both of them have changed theur place in the top this year – Malta went up to 9th position, while Portugal went down three positions. Differences between full-service and low cost air companies have become smaller.   The study made by GfK for eSky.ro showed that the total price of a trip is the most important factor for Romanians in choosing a destination. Thus, an average of 158/euros/person were paid in the 2023 summer season for an international round trip with low cost companies , 19% more than a year ago. Bookings were made earlier for low cost travels , from 41 days last year to 44 days in 2023. That thing was also confirmed by the results of a GfK survey, according to which 83% of Romanians interviewed who went on a holiday of at least 5 days had booked their flight and accommodation a month before leaving, while 41% of them did that more than three months in advance.   Methodology   The data presented were obtained following an eSky.ro analysis and include prepaid bookings for return tickets for a person and departure time was from Romania over June 1- August 31, 2022-2023. The total share of the ten countries presented in 47% of the overall number of bookings on eSky.ro in the period analysed. At the same time, the total number of destinations analysed is of 30 countries.   About eSky Group   eSky Group is the owner of the travel organizing website. The company is a leader in Central and Eastern Europe and is a key player in South American markets. At present, eSky is offering services to over 50 countries.