[CLSTR]
< Back to situation

[REVISION HISTORY]

Trends in European travel and holiday affordability

Updated 2 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-08-10 05:11 UTC → 2026-08-15 05:42 UTC · added removed

Rising travel expenses and declining purchasing power continue to affect the ability of many to afford holidays. In the European Union, data from 2025 indicates that nearly 30% 27.5% of citizens aged 16 and older were unable to afford a one-week holiday away from home, a slight increase from 27.0% in 2024. Economic disparities remain significant; Romania, Greece, Bulgaria, and Hungary report Romania reports high levels of travel poverty, poverty at 61.4%, while Luxembourg, Sweden, Luxembourg reports much lower rates at 10.6%. Other regions with high unaffordability include Montenegro (58%), Albania (53%), and the Netherlands report the lowest. In Romania, the trend toward domestic travel is particularly pronounced, Turkey (51%), contrasted with 90% of trips being domestic. low rates in Switzerland and Norway (9%). Despite these recent increases in unaffordability, increases, long-term data shows a decade-long improvement in holiday accessibility across Europe. accessibility. In 2015, 35.2% of the EU population was unable to afford a one-week annual holiday, compared to 27.5% in 2025. However, recent trends show certain countries experiencing have seen rising costs even within this broader historical improvement. over the last ten years, including Norway, Sweden, Finland, Germany, and Austria. In Germany, the rate rose by 1.2 percentage points, while Austria have all seen an saw a marginal increase in the proportion of people unable 0.3 points. Travelers are increasingly adopting cost-saving tactics to afford vacations over the last ten years. Regional disparities manage budgets. In European seaside resorts, visitors are also highlighted by high unaffordability rates bringing personal foldable gear to avoid sharp increases in Romania (61%), Montenegro (58%), Albania (53%), beach chair and Turkey (51%), contrasted with very low rates in Switzerland umbrella rental fees. Additionally, logistical costs such as mobile roaming fees present challenges when traveling outside the EU. A study found that 19% of respondents returned from non-EU trips to unexpected mobile bills, a figure that rises to 54% among 18-to-24-year-olds. Destinations like the UK, Switzerland, Turkey, and Norway (9%). the USA remain subject to high roaming fees unless travelers use alternative technologies like eSIMs.

Versions

  1. 2026-08-15 05:42 UTC Trends in European travel and holiday affordability
  2. 2026-08-10 05:11 UTC Trends in European travel and holiday affordability
  3. 2026-08-09 01:52 UTC Rising global tourism and travel costs

Only revisions since CLSTR began indexing content versions appear here. Select a version to see what changed compared to the one before it.