How families spend their vacations

Vacation barometer "How families travel"

On average, 1.54 children are born per woman (2015) - more than 15 years previously, when the average was 1.38 babies. It is therefore not surprising that more and more parents are spending their vacations abroad with their children. This is shown by the Holiday Barometer compiled by tour operator Hotelplan Suisse on the booking behavior of Swiss families.


With the vacation barometer "How families travel"
Hotelplan Suisse has produced a comprehensive statistical analysis of the target group "Two adults with at least one child up to the age of 16". For this evaluation of vacation behaviour, the tour operator analyzed and summarized the available data from the travel brands Migros Ferien, Hotelplan, Tourisme Pour Tous, Travelhouse and Globus Reisen. "The demand for family vacations has clearly increased in recent years and more and more family-friendly accommodation is being booked," says Kurt Eberhard, CEO of Hotelplan Suisse. "Families are an important customer group for Hotelplan Suisse. Accordingly, our offers are also geared towards the increasing demand for varied family vacations for every budget and for children of all ages," adds Kurt Eberhard. The analysis shows results on the choice of destination and hotel, booking period and budget as well as the age structure of the children. Families account for over 30% of all Hotelplan Suisse bookings. Among other things, the following statements and findings can be seen from the statistics of the Hotelplan Suisse vacation barometer "How families travel":


Families are drawn to the beach
In first and second place on the popularity scale for families - as well as for couples - are the Spanish and Greek islands. However, round trips and city breaks are also popular with families. Adults with teenage children in particular like to book a city trip that offers varied and age-appropriate activities for all family members. 36% of vacation bookings for families with school-age children are made at least 180 days before departure. This shows that great importance is attached to planning. Families can thus reserve the desired family rooms in good time and also benefit from early booking discounts. Families with non-school-age children tend to book their vacations in the low season and at slightly shorter notice.


In addition to the popular family hotels
at Europa-Park in Rust and Disneyland in Paris, the 4-star "Lyttos Beach" in Chersonissos on Crete is the most popular and most-booked family hotel. In second place is the 4-star hotel "Nissi Beach Resort" in Ayia Napa on Cyprus, followed by the 4-star hotel "Blau Punta Reina Resort" in Cala Mandia on Mallorca. Family hotels are often booked through travel agencies as well as online. It is striking that these hotels are usually booked by the same families several years in a row. If all family members like a hotel, they are happy to spend their vacation at the same place several times. The wide range of children's facilities such as paddling pools, mini-clubs and children's discos are particularly popular with parents, allowing them to treat themselves to a few quiet hours of relaxation in between. Families travel on a budget: on average, families with children aged 12 and over spend more on family vacations than families with small children. On the one hand, they can benefit from free flights for children up to the age of 2 and children up to the age of 12 often stay for free in a room with two full-paying adults.