Europe seems safe, but expensive: what does the new ETC-Eurail barometer tell Hungarian tourism?
The European Tourism Commission and Eurail's fresh June 2026 Long-Haul Travel Barometer 2/2026 research is both good and warning news for Europe. Travelers arriving from distant markets still view the continent as a safe, attractive, and diverse destination, but price, flexible route planning, rail connections, and the ability to conveniently visit multiple countries during one trip are gaining more weight in their decisions. For Hungary, this means that Budapest and the region must compete not only as independent city destinations but also as well-connected Central European gateways.
The barometer published on June 18, 2026, examines travel intentions between May and August in seven important overseas and long-haul source markets: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Japan, South Korea, and the United States. These are markets where a European trip is typically not a spontaneous weekend decision, but a higher-cost trip requiring longer preparation. Therefore, the research is not just a tourism sentiment report, but an early signal of how higher-spending travelers visiting multiple countries think about Europe in the middle of the summer season.
The picture is mixed. Overall long-haul travel desire decreased by five percentage points to 52 percent, while the intention to visit Europe moderated by three percentage points to 36 percent. In other words, Europe is not remaining untouched by global caution, but according to the research, the continent is holding up better than the long-haul travel market as a whole. This is particularly important in the summer months, when air capacity, accommodation prices, inflationary pressure, and geopolitical uncertainty simultaneously influence booking decisions.
Why is this important for Hungarian readers?
Hungary is not among the largest European entry markets, but Budapest's position is special. The city is simultaneously an independent city break destination, a Danube cruise stop, a cultural destination, a conference venue, and one of the natural stops for Central European tours. When overseas travelers increasingly want to visit more countries on one trip, the Budapest-Vienna-Prague-Warsaw axis or routes connecting Budapest with Croatia, Slovakia, and Poland become more valuable.
From the perspective of the Hungarian travel market, the report has two sides. Firstly, it influences the decisions of guests arriving in Hungary from abroad: how easy it is to fly to Budapest, to move on from there, and to build a regional program via rail or short flights. Secondly, it is a useful signal for Hungarian outbound travelers, as the same trends affect them: for summer European trips, the total travel cost, airport transfer, transfer time, accommodation location, and the train-plane combination are often more important than a single seemingly cheap ticket price.
Starting from Budapest, it is worth monitoring the offers of Budapest Liszt Ferenc Airport, but in regional travel planning, Vienna Airport, Prague Airport, and Warsaw Chopin Airport may also play a role. Based on the barometer, this multi-gateway thinking is not a minor detail, but one of the keys to European travel competition in 2026.
Safety is Europe's most important advantage
One of the strongest claims of the research is that Europe remains the world's most perceived safe region among the examined long-haul travelers. The continent ranked first in all five measured safety dimensions, including political stability, personal safety, perceived tensions between tourists and locals, and natural risks. This does not mean there are no disruptions, strikes, heatwaves, or local conflicts due to overtourism in Europe. It means that compared to competing regions, Europe's overall picture still provides a strong foundation of trust.
Safety is a key issue because travelers from distant markets risk larger sums with a European trip. For an American, Canadian, Chinese, or Australian visitor, the flight ticket, accommodation, insurance, and transport during the trip together represent a significant expense. If the destination area seems safe, predictable, and well-organized, it is easier to make the booking decision. According to the barometer, safety is the most important consideration when choosing a European destination: 44 percent of respondents mentioned it as the primary factor.
This could favor Budapest, but only if the city and service providers support the sense of safety with practical quality. Well-communicated airport transport, predictable transfers, reliable accommodation information, and transparent route planning are all part of the experience that makes a distant guest not only arrive but also recommend the destination. For those arriving late in the evening or after a long transfer, for example, the Budapest airport transfer and accommodation around Budapest airport are not luxury extras, but part of travel safety.
Price has become the biggest obstacle
The other main message of the report is less comfortable: price remains the biggest deterrent against Europe. Among those planning long-haul travel but not choosing Europe, nearly 40 percent cited travel costs perceived as unaffordable as the main reason. This proportion is nine percentage points lower than a year earlier, but still far exceeds other obstacles. Choosing another destination was mentioned by 16 percent, and limited vacation time by 11 percent.
For Hungarian tourism, this is both an opportunity and a risk. An opportunity, because Budapest, Debrecen, Lake Balaton, Pécs, or Central European tours may still represent a favorable value-for-money alternative in the eyes of many overseas travelers compared to the most famous and expensive cities of Western Europe. A risk, because the traveler does not view the flight ticket, hotel, and local transport separately, but perceives the entire package as expensive or manageable.
If, for example, a visitor arrives in Budapest and then travels on to Vienna or Prague, the value of the trip is decided by how simple the connection is. The Budapest-Vienna, Budapest-Prague, and Budapest-Warsaw directions are not merely flight or rail alternatives, but parts of a larger regional travel decision. Those who can connect multiple cities at a good price, with predictable time and low risk, are more likely to keep Europe on their list.
The long-haul traveler wants to see more countries
According to the barometer, long-haul trips to Europe remain primarily for leisure purposes: 71 percent of planned trips are of this nature. Most would arrive for one to two weeks, as indicated by 60 percent of respondents. In daily spending intention, the 100 to 200 euro range is the most common, with a 36 percent share, but meanwhile, the proportion of those planning to spend between 50 and 100 euros per day is also increasing. This more economical, but not necessarily giving up, traveler behavior fits well with the offerings of Central European cities.
A particularly important piece of data is that three-quarters of overseas Europe travelers would visit more than one country during a trip, on average nearly four. This means for Hungarian tourism that Budapest does not compete with Paris, Rome, or Barcelona on its own. The city can also win if a traveler fits the Hungarian capital alongside Vienna, Prague, Krakow, Bratislava, Zagreb, or the Dalmatian coast. However, this requires good schedules, easy-to-understand routes, and local transport information that is clear even for foreign guests.
Classic major European destinations remain strong: France was mentioned by 39 percent of respondents, Italy by 29 percent, Germany by 25 percent, the United Kingdom by 22 percent, and Spain by 21 percent. At the same time, according to the report, interest is growing in regions outside traditional tourist corridors, especially in the case of Poland, Slovakia, Croatia, and Bulgaria. Hungary's task in this field is to appear not just as a cheaper alternative, but as a well-connected, culturally strong, and easily explorable regional destination.
Rail and connectivity are becoming increasingly important
Eurail's participation in the research is not accidental. The role of rail is becoming stronger in the route planning of overseas travelers in Europe. Good train connections influence the destination choice for 23 percent of respondents, a three percentage point increase compared to last summer. In cross-border transport, low-cost flights still lead with 47 percent, but the intention to use rail passes increased to 42 percent, and point-to-point train tickets to 40 percent.
This trend is particularly important in Central Europe, where many cities are geographically close to each other, but the quality of the traveler experience is decided by the schedule, the connection, and the information. For an overseas guest, the question is not whether Budapest and Vienna are close on the map, but how simple it is to move on after airport arrival, where it is worth staying overnight, and how much buffer time should be left. The same applies to Prague or Warsaw, especially if the traveler is thinking in terms of a Central European tour rather than a single city visit.
For Hungarian travelers, the same perspective is useful for their own summer trips. A cheap flight ticket alone does not always mean a cheap trip, if the airport exit, late evening arrival, luggage, insurance, or transfer risk makes the whole thing more expensive. Starting from Vienna, Prague, or Warsaw sometimes provides a better schedule or price, but it is only worth choosing if the entire travel chain works. This can be helped, for example, by the Vienna airport transfer, Vienna airport accommodation, or in the case of a Prague arrival, pre-planning the Prague airport transfer.
What does all this mean for the 2026 season?
Based on the fresh barometer, Europe has not lost its attraction in the summer of 2026, but travelers choose it less automatically. Safety, culture, known sights, and tourism infrastructure remain strong arguments, but due to cost sensitivity, guests weigh their options more precisely. Those who come to Europe more often seek real experiences, local gastronomy, historical cities, nature, and wellness opportunities, while spending less on shopping or expensive accommodation.
For Hungary, this could be a good moment if the offer is competitive not only in price but also in organization. Budapest is a strong cultural city with good value for money, baths, gastronomy, Danube-side experiences, and an increasingly important regional role. At the same time, the foreign guest does not think in the internal logic of the Hungarian market, but in how simple the entire European trip is. The airport, accommodation, public transport, rail, programs, and multi-country routes together provide the final picture.
Therefore, it is not enough for tourism providers to generally communicate that Hungary is beautiful and safe. The 2026 traveler seeks concrete evidence: how to get into the city, how to move on to Vienna or Prague, how much an average day costs, what program they get for their money, and how easily they can combine Budapest with other European experiences. Those who provide a clear answer to this can gain an advantage even in the more cost-sensitive market.
Practical advice for travelers
- Do not look only at the flight ticket price: add the airport exit, baggage fees, accommodation location, and transfer buffer time.
- Plan with multiple modes of transport: within Europe, the combination of train and short flights is often better than a single forced route.
- Leave time for connections: in the summer season, airports, stations, and border crossings can be more crowded.
- Take advantage of Budapest's regional position: Vienna, Prague, Warsaw, Bratislava, or Zagreb can be easily integrated into a Central European trip if the schedule and cost are right.
- Evaluate safety at a practical level: for late evening arrivals, family trips, or after long-haul flights, reliable transfer and well-located accommodation take much stress off the journey.
Summary
Based on the new ETC and Eurail barometer, Europe remains a strong brand in the eyes of long-haul travelers, but the competition has become tougher. Safety, culture, and infrastructure are serious advantages, while price and route convenience are increasingly decisive factors. The most important message for Hungary is that Budapest can become more visible to overseas and regional travelers if it appears not as an isolated city, but as a well-connected, valuable, and easily explorable Central European stop.
Those planning a trip to Europe in the summer or autumn of 2026 should look at the entire route: airport, transfer, accommodation, train, second or third city, buffer time, and total cost all count. This is the perspective that, according to the fresh research, will become increasingly important not only for guests arriving from distant markets, but also for Hungarian travelers.