By Shirley Farmer 
A Mastercard study on consumer intentions revealed that 88% of European and international travelers plan to spend the same amount or more on experiences in 2024, compared to 2023, a year marked by numerous global sporting events, music tours and film festivals.
The study was conducted in 24 countries, including Portugal, with the aim of understanding the change in preferences of more than 16,000 consumers in terms of experiences and relevant spending in Europe, one of the largest global tourism centers which, in 2023, will attract an impressive 700 million tourists.
For Portuguese, the main purchase intentions this year are travel (67%), live concerts (48%), luxury-related holidays (40%), family or gastronomic experiences (39%), and outdoor experiences (36). %).
In line with the national trend, European consumers' priority also goes to travel (59%), followed by festivals and concerts (34%), outdoor experiences (34%), gastronomy (33%), followed by luxury-related experiences. -Existence (32%).
The majority of national and European consumers cited the “intangible” benefits of experiences as the main reason for prioritizing this type of spending. In fact, more than four in five (85%) Portuguese said this type of spending is generally, or almost always, worthwhile, in sharp contrast to the 2% who think it is rarely or never worth the investment. 30% of consumers say they save part of their household budget to spend on experiences.
Among the main reasons cited by the Portuguese are the fact that experiences provide the best memories (49%), help to see the world from a new perspective (41%) or the fact that they find experiences shared with others to be deeply enriching (40%) for your personal life, whether you You explore a new destination, attend a cultural event, or simply enjoy a meal with those you love most.
Furthermore, the main deciding factor in deciding to invest in an experience is the fact that it can be one-of-a-kind (41%), reflecting the desire to create lifelong memories.
The study also reveals that the desire to enjoy these new experiences is the motivation behind travel, with 31% of Portuguese saying they intend to plan a trip to enjoy a particular experience, and nearly half (49%) saying they will travel somewhere else. A country or a continent, just to enjoy the experience they want to achieve.