Travellers to Europe Ditch Long-Haul Trips in 2026
Feb 17, 2026
Category: Uncategorised
Long-haul travel to Europe is dipping in 2026 as cost, safety, and time concerns push more travellers to stay closer to home. A new report shows that younger holidaymakers are leading the shift, favouring flexibility, off-peak trips and better value.
Costs, delays, second thoughts
Long-haul travel to Europe is slipping down the priority list for many overseas tourists in 2026. According to the European Travel Commission (ETC), only 42% of long-haul travellers plan to visit Europe this year, down from 44% in 2025.
While China (59%) and Brazil (54%) remain the strongest markets, others like Australia (47%), Canada (45%) and the United States (34%) show declining interest. Cost is the top deterrent, with more than half of non-travellers citing expenses as the main barrier.
Young travellers aged 18–34 are especially price-sensitive, with 48% saying that they’re put off by high costs. In places like Brazil where 68% of would-be tourists listed affordability as a key issue, short-haul and domestic travel are gaining popularity.
Chinese tourists, meanwhile, are showing greater caution around geopolitical risks, with 13% naming international tensions as a concern—over four times the global average.
Limited vacation time is another recurring issue. South Korea and Japan recorded the highest shares of travellers feeling constrained by work leave or schedules.
This is nudging potential tourists to consider shorter, closer-to-home getaways instead of the longer European trips they may have once favoured.
Safety tops travel list
Safety has emerged as the top priority for those still planning trips to Europe. The ETC found that 51% of long-haul travellers choose destinations based on safety, a six-point jump from 2025.
Europe ranks highest globally in perceived safety, especially for political stability, personal security and low exposure to natural disasters.
Japanese travellers were the most safety-conscious, with 63% rating this factor as their number one concern. Chinese and South Korean tourists followed close behind, while North Americans appeared more concerned with value and infrastructure.
Despite war in Ukraine and scattered protests in some cities, Europe’s reputation as a secure, well-managed destination has remained largely intact.
Overcrowding is less of a dealbreaker than expected. Only 5% said that they would change destinations due to busy tourist spots.
Instead, 29% said they would shift their schedules to avoid peak times and 25% would look for quieter alternatives nearby. This shows a strong preference for flexibility over cancellation.
Packaged trips lose appeal
The way people book trips is changing fast. Full-package holidays—where flights, accommodation and tours are bundled together—are falling out of favour.
Only 37% of respondents said that they would choose this option, a four-point drop from last year. The decline is sharpest in China, where use of full packages dropped from 74% to 46%.
At the same time, partial packages are gaining ground. These offer a bit more freedom while still covering some basics.
Interest in this format rose by three percentage points, with Chinese travellers leading the shift. Travellers from the US, Canada and Australia are the most likely to book everything separately, favouring DIY planning for more control and customisation.
This trend lines up with a broader shift towards independent, experience-led travel. Younger tourists especially want flexibility, often mixing cities, nature and wellness into one itinerary.
The ETC suggests that this change is also driving interest in off-season travel, as it allows better deals and fewer crowds.
New priorities shape spending
Dining remains the biggest spending category, with 70% of travellers saying thagt they’ll prioritise food and drinks during their trip.
For Japanese and South Korean tourists, that number rises to over 75%. Tourist attractions come next (51%) followed by shopping (42%), although the latter is dropping—especially in China, where it fell 15 percentage points in a year.
Wellness is slowly gaining traction, even if still a niche category. Interest is up three points across the board, led again by Chinese tourists.
Luxury experiences, on the other hand, are fading in priority, particularly among budget-conscious travellers.
Accommodation spending has stayed relatively stable, though Americans are notably more likely to spend big on hotels compared to other markets.
Transport costs are also a major consideration, especially for solo travellers and those planning multi-country trips. Many are choosing trains for better value and comfort, with 40% rating them as the best option for cross-border travel.
Shoulder season gains ground
One trend growing steadily is off-peak travel. A clear split is forming between older and younger travellers, and between different markets.
Canadians and Brazilians are among the most likely to travel in shoulder months, with over 60% preferring spring or autumn over summer. This shift is linked to better pricing, smaller crowds and improved flexibility.
By contrast, Chinese and South Korean tourists still favour peak-season travel, though the margin is narrowing. Younger travellers, especially those in the 18–34 bracket, remain drawn to the buzz of summer events and festivals despite the higher costs.
For many, the social aspect of travel still outweighs the inconvenience of busy crowds.
The trend towards shoulder-season travel is also influencing destination choice. Quieter cities, smaller countries and nature-based stops are becoming more popular.
Montenegro, Cyprus and Luxembourg—often overlooked in the past—are seeing increased interest, particularly from repeat visitors.
New entry systems raise questions
Europe’s updated border systems are starting to reshape how tourists think about travel.
The Entry/Exit System (EES), operational since October 2025, is being rolled out gradually across external borders with full implementation expected by April 2026.
It will automatically register non-EU nationals each time they cross a Schengen border for a short stay, replacing manual passport stamps with a digital log of entries and exits.
For travellers, this means more automation and potentially faster checks, but also more data collection and stricter monitoring. Biometric data, such as fingerprints and facial images, will be used to track overstays and detect identity misuse.
While intended to streamline travel and improve security, the EES may cause some hesitation among long-haul visitors unfamiliar with the new process.
Meanwhile, the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) is expected to launch in the last quarter of 2026. Travellers from 59 visa-exempt countries will need to apply online for a €20 authorisation linked to their passport, valid for up to three years.
Although ETIAS is not a visa, it is a new requirement, and the application process could be seen as another hurdle, especially for those used to visa-free access.
Immigration rhetoric spills into tourism
Europe’s internal immigration debates may not be aimed at tourists, but they’re still part of the broader travel conversation.
In some markets, particularly the US and parts of Asia, political messaging around deportations, asylum rules and external border control is bleeding into perceptions of travel policy. This could make the continent seem more restricted or harder to access, even when official entry conditions remain unchanged.
For long-haul travellers unfamiliar with European bureaucratic shifts, these developments may cause confusion. Added to new systems like EES and ETIAS, the overall impression can be one of tightening control.
While there’s little evidence of direct impact on approval rates or travel authorisations, soft deterrents—such as uncertainty or a sense of unwelcomeness—may be quietly influencing travel decisions.
Travel plans get reset
Long-haul travel to Europe isn’t collapsing, but it is clearly evolving. Tourists from key overseas markets are rethinking their priorities, with value, safety and flexibility now outranking bucket-list ticking.
As younger travellers lean towards customisable, off-peak adventures and mixed itineraries, the traditional model of rigid, summer-focused European holidays is losing ground.
The ETC’s findings suggest that Europe’s appeal is still strong, but destinations will need to adapt fast to keep it that way. Tailored experiences, smoother rail options and clearer information around new border systems may prove more effective than flashy campaigns.
In 2026, travel isn’t about going far for the sake of it—it’s about making the trip worth it.