81% of Romanians travelling abroad will rely on digital payments during their holiday

4 out of 5 Romanians who will go on holiday abroad this year plan to pay there by card, smartphone, or smartwatch. One out of three Romanian tourists (35%) plans to spend between €200 and €600 per person for their holidays abroad – all according to the latest Visa CEE Travel and Payment Intentions Study 2023 covering eight CEE markets, including Romania^[1].

Visa is constantly innovating to make new and future payment methods and channels better and more accessible to all. In addition to traditional cards, Visa credentials can also be used on digital devices such as smartphones and smartwatches. These digital payments are the most popular payment method among tourists from all surveyed CEE countries, with more than three quarters of them intending to pay this way during holidays abroad. Romania adheres to this trend: 81% of Romanians going abroad intend to pay with a card, smartphone, or smartwatch during their holiday.

Payments abroad using a physical Visa card or Visa credentials at a smartphone, or smartwatch are just as fast, convenient, and secure as at home – and that’s how the advantages of paying with a card abroad are perceived by respondents across the region: convenience was indicated by 58%, security perceived as no risk of losing cash by 53% and speed by 52%.

More than a fifth (22%) of Romanian tourists want to pay abroad with either a smartphone or a smartwatch. In the region, mobile payments abroad are also popular among tourists from Poland and Hungary (22% and 21% of indications, respectively).

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“Romanians have embraced mobile payments not only for domestic transactions but also when travelling, which is convenient considering that Visa credentials can be used to pay in more than 150 currencies in millions of places around the world. Our study shows that when abroad, Romanians are most likely to pay by card or smartphone in restaurants, grocery shops, at souvenir stands, in museums, and amusement parks. And they can do so with the peace of mind that their transactions are secure thanks to tokenization, which replaces the card details with a unique code that only Visa can decipher, thus helping protect the payment details against fraud”, Elena Ungureanu, Country Manager Visa in Romania, said.

More than half of Romanian holidaymakers (51%) plan to use the same payment card abroad as they do at home. Some switch cards when going on holiday abroad, paying there with a different card than the one used at home. It’s most popular among Romanians (25%), Poles (24%), and Hungarians (23%). Three quarters of CEE residents travelling abroad decide on the method of paying on holiday abroad before they leave.

E-commerce holidays

With the growth of e-commerce, we are increasingly willing to buy a variety of products and services online. It is therefore not surprising that we also pay for holidays online. 83% of Romanians organizing their trip independently will buy some holiday service online, and 3 out of 4 of them say they will pay by card or digital wallet. 58% will book accommodation that way, 40% – book transport, and 19% – pay entrance fees and buy additional excursions.

Visa study shows that 64% of Romanians buying package holidays abroad will also do so online, via travel agencies’ websites or platforms aggregating offers from many tour operators. Almost 3 quarters of these holidaymakers (74%) will pay for their purchase with a card or digital wallet. Buying holidays online is most popular in Croatia (78% of travel agency customers buy online), Slovakia (76%), and Slovenia (74%).

Despite inflation, Romanians want to go on holidays abroad

26% of surveyed Romanians plan to go on holidays abroad this year. 35% of Romanian tourists plan to spend between €200 and €600 per person during their holidays abroad, with 7 days the average length of the trip.

From those Romanians who confirmed they will travel abroad, more than two-thirds (69%) want to go abroad at least twice this year, and this second trip will usually be 1-2 days long. These are mainly city breaks, especially popular among millennials and people from generation Z.

Romanians intend to simply rest – mixing relax with sightseeing. One in five (19%) plans to spend their holidays visiting family and friends living abroad.

“The openness of considering a holiday trip or a city break abroad shows us that Romanian consumers are gaining a sense of confidence when it comes to travelling. According to our survey, Romanians’ current preferred destinations are Greece (28%), Italy (18%), Bulgaria (16%) and Spain (14%). This means we can expect an increase in the number of international payments, therefore boosting many industries, including the tourism sector”, Elena Ungureanu adds.

51% of the surveyed Romanians travelling abroad do not intend to cancel these plans even if inflation remains high and living costs continue to rise. However, 57% of Romanians going abroad might look for more economical accommodation options in this case and 55% will consider shortening their trip.

For more than half of Romanians (55%), the geopolitical situation doesn’t impact their plans for holidays abroad, while 41% declare that this year they will finally go on a trip previously postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Visa tips for traveling abroad

Payments abroad

When paying with Visa or withdrawing cash from an ATM abroad, travelers can choose whether to pay in the local or home currency. Choosing the local currency may mean a more favorable exchange rate.

Favorable exchange rates

Paying with Visa abroad can be more cost-effective than buying currency at an exchange office.

Peace of mind

Simple and hassle-free paying with Visa abroad provides a peace of mind, as domestic and international payments are protected by a number of different methods.

Security

Visa payments abroad are protected from fraud thanks to the same high-tech systems that protect payments at home. Therefore, they are secure no matter where you pay.

Wide acceptance network

Visa makes it easy and convenient to pay worldwide at more than 100 million shops in over 200 countries and dependent territories – wherever the Visa logo is displayed.