When it comes to travel habits, the Dutch stay awhile, Americans spend money, and Bulgarians don’t budge. These were among the findings from a recent survey conducted by the GfK Association for the Wall Street Journal Europe. At the top of the list for the world’s number one travelers were the the Dutch – but Americans as the most willing to drop big bucks on vacations. The study, conducted in 16 countries with 16,364 respondents, shows that 18 percent of Americans are willing to pay more than $2,472.40 (EUR 2,000) on travel per person in a year. The survey-wide average for this amount was only nine percent.
The study also found that 39 percent of people in the surveyed countries have opted to not travel this year, with the U.S. coming in at 32 percent and Bulgaria leading the pack with a whopping 70 percent of respondents staying put. A hefty two thirds of all respondents also said they prefer to vacation within their home countries when they do travel.
Check out more of the survey findings after the jump.
Of those who opt to globe trot, a third each go for one-week and
two-week trips. In the five-plus week category, the Netherlands is
well-represented with 17 percent, compared to a seven percent average across the board,
making the Dutch the most avid long-term travelers out there.
Interestingly,
GfK found that young people are more likely to travel than old – except
in Germany, where there is virtually no deviance across age groups. GfK
managing director Dr. Raimund Wildner attributes this to the fact that
Germans tend to be better-off financially in old age than people from
other nations.
Another section of the survey addressed vacation
activities, and it turns out Europeans value sheer relaxation far more
than Americans do – 58 percent of Europeans answered that relaxing by reading,
resting or playing games was their preferred travel activity, while a
mere 10 percent of Americans made the same choice. Of U.S. respondents, 25 percent
preferred visiting family and friends, 16 percent for playing sports, and 15 percent
for going to bars and clubs.
Read the Wall Street Journal
Europe’s article on the survey findings here.
Photo
by carolynthepilot,
from Intelligent
Travel’s Flickr pool
United States – Wall Street Journal – Travel – Recreation – Travelogues
