Even if the average household budget for holidays decreased in comparison to last year, up to 70% of Belgians plan to go away this summer. Yet many are choosing "workations".
While most people say they will log off for their summer holiday, nearly one in four (24%) Belgians will not stop working, shows the 2023 Holiday Barometer from Ipsos and Europ Assistance.
"Workations" are popular with Europeans in general: 3 out of 10 Europeans will work from their holiday destination, with a 4% increase from last year.
In Belgium too, the increase is slightly higher, with 18% of holiday goers planning "workations" in summer 2022, compared to this year's 24%.
This may be linked to the rising crises facing people as they try to get the right work-life balance.
Around 75% of holiday goers expressed enthusiasm, but 86% were concerned about the impact of rising inflation on their holidays. Other factors that dampened Belgian holidaymakers' enthusiasm cited personal reasons (77%), climate change (70%), the war in Ukraine and Covid-19 (61%).
In 2023, the average holiday budget in Belgium stands at €2,182, marking a 4,7% decrease from 2022.
From all European countries in the survey, Europ Assistance reveals the Belgian traveller's budget is the only one to have decreased. On average, Europeans' holiday budget increased by 6%.
Even so, Belgians are not giving up their vacations and many survey respondents said that they are willing to make compromises to save money on their vacation.
Tightening the purse strings
Rising living costs have led a quarter of Belgians to compromise on their choice of accommodation or destination (26%), on how far they travel (26%) and on how much they spend on holiday activities (21%).
Most Belgian respondents plan to go away for up to a week (39%) or two (38%), but nearly three out of ten are willing to splurge on multiple gateways (29%). But most holiday goers are not planning to go too far: 77% will stay in Europe.
France is most popular destination for Belgians. With 29% are planning for a holiday in France, the neighbouring country surpasses even Belgium itself as a destination (26%). Spain (18%), Italy (13%) and the Netherlands (8%) are the next top destinations.
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The 2023 Holiday Barometer from Europ Assistance and Ipsos was conducted in 15 countries. From each country, 1,000 consumers aged 18 years and older took part in an online questionnaire.
The survey was conducted between 20 March and 7 April and looked into consumer holiday plans and travel preferences.
