ANZ anticipates a significant resurgence in European travel this summer, with customer spending projected to reach $280 million across June, July, and August. This forecast represents a 10% increase compared to the previous year, driven by early trends in hotel and airline bookings.
In 2024, over 100,000 ANZ customers traveled to Europe during the summer months, but total spending decreased by 19% compared to 2023. The average spend per customer also fell by 13%.
However, data from ANZ indicates a reversal of this trend. Between January and May 2025, hotel and airline bookings increased by 11% compared to the same period last year, suggesting more ANZ customers are planning European trips in 2025.
Yiken Yang, ANZ Managing Director of Everyday Banking, noted that "our data shows that customers are reigniting their passion for European travel. We’re seeing strong growth in early planning activity and expect spending to climb 10% this season."
Yang also highlighted growing interest in destinations beyond Europe: "Beyond Europe, we’re also seeing growing interest in destinations across Asia and the Pacific." Countries like Japan and Thailand are becoming popular holiday spots for Australians seeking new travel experiences.
While European travel declined in 2024, non-European destinations saw a 3% increase in spending during the same period. Notable growth was observed in Indonesia, New Zealand, Thailand, and Japan—with Japan experiencing a significant rise of 32.4% year-on-year.
Other emerging travel hotspots include Hong Kong, China, and Sri Lanka.
Key insights from ANZ's customer credit card and debit card data reveal that July is the most popular month for travel among ANZ customers. May is when most travel planning occurs. In the summer of 2024, ANZ customers typically spent an average of $2,480 during their holidays in Europe.
Credit cards remain the preferred payment method over debit cards since 2022. In terms of demographics, Gen X led Euro Summer spending in 2024 with a total expenditure of $88.35 million. Males accounted for 57% of Euro Summer spending that year.
Great Britain was the top destination with a total spend of $67 million in 2024. However, countries like the Netherlands and France saw declines in spending despite hosting major events such as the Paris Olympics.
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