The impact of Covid on holiday renting in Europe: Belvilla analyses the first 15 weeks of 2021, growing trend for Italians for the second year running

Milan, April 2021. Belvilla, one of the most important European players in the holiday rental market, has analysed the first months of 2021, outlining the preferences of users more than a year after the outbreak of the pandemic. While the prospects for national and international openings remain uncertain and different for each country, the trend of holiday homes is back in vogue this summer, proving to be a winning formula, allowing guests to count on independence and privacy. A factor that is playing an important role in the trend of bookings is the free cancellation policy that allows guests to cancel their stay 43 or 21 days before arrival.

Another confirmation that comes from Belvilla’s data, concerns the destinations preferred by users, according to bookings made since January 1, even in 2021 people will tend to stay in their own country, preferring short-haul destinations, reachable by car; the trend is confirmed by the data of most European markets, but there are two exceptions found by Belvilla: the bookings made in the United Kingdom and The Netherlands.

Since January 1st, bookings by Italians in Italy for next summer have increased by +200% compared to bookings made in the first 14 weeks of 2020. On the other hand, so far, bookings by Italians in the most popular countries for summer holidays have fallen: -33% in France and -100% in Spain (percentages of the fall in bookings made in the first few months of this year compared to bookings made in the same period in 2020). Despite the boom in domestic tourism expected to continue this year, Belvilla notes that the general trend of bookings by Italians over the past two years has been growing, with bookings for a stay in any destination, increased by +120% compared to 2020, and + 150% compared to 2019.

The same trend has been seen in France, where French bookings in 2021 have increased by +62% on last year’s bookings and fell by -58% in Italy and -56% in Spain. The trend of proximity tourism was also confirmed by the Spanish, who made 94% of bookings in Spain, and the Austrians with 79% of bookings in Austria this summer. England is bucking the trend, with only 28% of British people booking a stay in Great Britain this summer; and Holland, where incoming tourism accounts for around 40% of the total.

As for the demand for homes in the Bel Paese for next summer, it continues to be very diversified: the strongest market is the Netherlands, which accounts for 32% of total bookings, followed by Germany, which accounts for 22% of total bookings, and the Italy, who account for 18% of total bookings. Observing the bookings with Belvilla in this first part of the year, Germans and Dutch confirm themselves as a travelling population also observing their bookings in Austria, respectively 45% and 30% of the total.