Eastern Europe

Technological advances in 2024 will continue to reshape consumer behaviour. This annual report explores the top five digital shopper trends that will redefine commerce the most in the year ahead. Some of the trends included in this report’s edition…

The Hungarian travel market has performed positively on the whole in 2023. Inbound, outbound and domestic trip numbers have increased strongly and come closer to their pre-pandemic levels, with diminishing concerns about COVID-19 and the ending of…

Tourism flows have rebounded strongly during the post-COVID-19 recovery of travel and tourism in Bulgaria, with no travel restrictions being in place in 2022 or 2023. Leading scheduled, low cost and charter airlines have also increased their number…

Growth in the number of outbound departures from Hungary in 2023 looks set to be well down on the previous year. This is mainly explained by the ongoing normalisation of travel flows following the strong rebound over 2021-2022 that resulted from the…

The National Statistical Office and the Ministry of Tourism data suggest a significant increase in tourism flows as the post-COVID-19 recovery of travel and tourism in Bulgaria continues. There are no remaining active travel restrictions in place…

Much like Budapest, smaller cities and regional areas in Hungary have witnessed significant increases in lodging supply in recent years, particularly since the easing of the pandemic and the ending of related restrictions. A key driver of growth in…

Lodging suffered significantly during the pandemic with the number of room nights booked and value sales dropping dramatically. Nonetheless, most lodging establishments and hotels managed to endure the crisis although many have been financially…

Hungarians traditionally pay close attention to foreign exchange rates when planning trips abroad, particularly summer holidays, as fluctuations can cause travel expenses to increase significantly in a short period of time. This was the case…

The cost of a typical day in the sun on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast – the area that makes up what is now known as the fast-growing Bulgarian Riviera – remains far cheaper than most of its rival European resorts. This makes Bulgaria very attractive…

The low cost carriers category looks set to record faster growth in current value sales than its full service counterpart in Hungary in 2023. This is partly because due to their focus on offering more affordable fares, leading low cost operators such…

Passenger numbers have continued to recover in 2023, albeit failing to achieve pre-pandemic levels. Although there are no longer any COVID-19 related travel restrictions still in place which could impede travel, including airline travel, there are…

The dynamic performances recorded across all categories of travel and tourism in Romania during 2023 represented the continuation of the strong recovery that began in 2021 and developed over the course of 2022. This was mainly result of the…

The resumption of travel is a key factor in 2023, along with the associated evolution in consumer behaviour since the era of the COVID-19 pandemic. The lockdowns made people realise how important it is to achieve a healthy work-life balance, along…

2023 saw robust growth in domestic tourism trips and outbound departures as rising demand continued to be driven by the realisation of pent-up demand following the total removal of COVID-19 restrictions from March 2022. With local consumers taking…

Domestic travel is recovering at a faster rate than inbound tourism in Poland. In 2023, Polish consumers are seen to be eager to book stays in domestic tourist resorts, go on city breaks, and travel to visit family or friends and, at the same time,…

The very favourable performance recorded in lodging in Romania during 2023 can be seen as the consequence of rising occupancy rate, which led directly to dynamic growth in room nights as well as spurring the development and opening of new hotels. The…

Lodging (destination) is recovering in Poland, with both opportunities and challenges seen. In fact, there are a number of challenges faced by those in the lodging industry in Poland. Notably, here we cite the weakened purchasing power of consumers…

The dynamic sales growth that was recorded in bookings in 2023 was mainly the result of the strong interest that many local consumers have in placing early bookings when planning leisure travel. This boom in booking travel and tourism products and…

In order to look at the trends in booking, we look at the overall trends in travel. Polish consumers are re-embracing the opportunity to travel again after the pandemic restrictions were lifted, and we are seeing strong trends in both domestic travel…

Low cost carriers remained the largest category of airlines in Romania in 2023 in terms of both value sales and passengers carried as it recorded stronger growth in passenger numbers than full service carriers, although full service carriers recorded…

Air passenger traffic levels in 2023 demonstrate that consumers remain eager to travel, despite skyrocketing ticket prices. That said, the higher ticket prices, resulting from higher costs for operators, more robustly support value growth, while…

Outbound tourism flows recorded a strong performance in Croatia during 2023 despite the impact of high inflation and the cost of living crisis on the discretionary spending of local people. In general, Croatian consumers are still hungry for leisure…

The big story in tourism flows in Croatia in 2023 was the huge rebound seen in inbound arrivals as the return to international travel fuelled a boom in foreign tourism worldwide, with Croatia benefiting from its burgeoning status as a very attractive…

2023 saw many of Croatia’s lodging operators facing huge pressure on their margins as the impact of high inflation hit their cost structures from two angles. On the one hand, dramatic increases in the cost of fuel and numerous other inputs over the…

During 2023, strong value growth was recorded in booking in Croatia, with both booking offline and booking online recording robust double-digit growth rates, although somewhat predictably booking online was the big winner during the year. The regular…

Airlines in Croatia become a far more competitive category during 2023 as the numbers of airline passengers being carried continue to increase amidst rebounding demand during the post-pandemic era. Indeed, by the end of the year, the airlines…

The cost of living crisis has not hindered the Slovakian’s appetite for travel in 2023. The number of outbound departures is enjoying steady growth, although travellers prefer low cost destinations such as Bulgaria, Turkey and Greece over more…

The war in Ukraine and the onset of the energy crisis significantly impacted inbound tourism flows in Slovakia in 2022, and its negative influence continues into 2023. Inbound flows from the US and Scandinavian markets have been hampered by the war…

Lodging operators remain under intense pressure with regards to price in 2023. All operating expenses have increased at an unprecedented rate (well above the general inflation), putting upward pressure on lodging prices. With the cost of living…

Consumer demand for outbound travel remains strong in 2023, despite the ongoing cost of living crisis, and this has enabled travel intermediaries to register a strong performance in terms of booking sales. Travellers are taking advantage of…

In 2023, air passenger traffic continues to recover from the harsh fallout caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, with retail value sales nearing pre-pandemic levels. Slovaks are returning to similar air travel patterns as seen before the pandemic, spurred…

The absence of overhaul flights from Prague to destinations in the USA and Asia impacts the recovery of inbound tourism in 2023. As such, it is yet to reach pre-pandemic levels. Furthermore, many tourists from the USA are put off travel to Eastern…

Demand for domestic tourism is benefiting from changing consumer behaviour, underlined by the legacy of the COVID-19 pandemic years and the economic crisis. Czech consumers increasingly prefer shorter distances-something that was preferred in the…

Luxury hotels see the slowest recovery due to a gradual return of foreign tourists to the Czech capital and growing inflationary pressure on overseas and domestic tourists, translating into lower spending power. The luxury category also shows the…

The cost of living crisis has not had a significant impact on Czech consumers' appetite for travel. Following the pandemic, Czechs are looking to travel abroad after two years of travel restrictions, when many consumers spent holidays at home. As…

Following an uplift in price points in 2022, the rise in flight ticket prices slowed down in 2023 due to stabilising energy prices, high levels of competition on the landscape, and growing flight capacity. However, a return to 2019 prices is not…

Consumers are facing increased pressure from rising prices as global inflation reaches 7% in 2023. The impact of higher costs of living is felt from top earners in developed markets to struggling households in emerging and developing countries.…

This report examines the global car rental industry, providing analysis on market sizes, brand and company shares, growth trends over the review period and prospects over the forecast period. The report also considers the major trends shaping the…

Now in its seventh edition, this report explores the top digital shopper trends that will redefine commerce the most in the year ahead. Some of the trends included in this edition touch on topics such as second-hand shopping, community group buying,…

This report examines inflation levels and drivers globally and in key countries. Global inflation is reaching a peak, although geopolitical risks and uncertainty in the energy market remain key risks. The impact varies between countries, with…

This briefing examines how the aerospace industry is performing globally and in the largest countries in terms of aircraft production. The report also provides data for production, market size, imports, exports, industry costs, industry profitability…

The briefing introduces the Cities Households Necessities Spending Index. The index ranks 1,075 cities by household expenditure on non-discretionary items, namely food, housing, and clothing and footwear. This analysis focuses on 160 major cities.…

Slower growth, surging inflation, rising geopolitical risks and an accelerating deglobalisation trend are factors shaping the global economic, financial and trade landscape in 2022 and beyond. Despite the challenges, there are opportunities for…

As the end of 2021 approaches, almost two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, the emergence and rapid spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant has increased uncertainty and weakened the momentum of the global recovery. This series of quarterly reports…

As consumers prepare fewer meals overall, while demanding more assistance for the ones they do, spending and brand equity will accrue to those companies providing fresh prepared meals on demand, from delivery aggregators to retailers, restaurant…

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about significant changes in business models and consumer behaviour, as well as altering the ways and the geography many of us live, work, study and play. Understanding what changes will stick after the pandemic…

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has triggered the most severe global recession since World War II. In Q4 2020, the end of the pandemic started as countries began administering effective vaccines among the population; however, vaccine distribution…

As the COVID-19 pandemic drives seismic shifts across consumer markets, the key question facing business strategists is which of these changes are more reactionary in nature versus signalling the start of a long-term behavioural shift. This briefing…

Technological advances are creating unprecedented change across consumer-facing industries. The Digital Consumer Survey, fielded in March and April, offers insight into the pace and depth of this evolution, tracking consumer behaviour, attitudes,…