In which EU countries are people financially unable to take holidays?

Summer is holiday time for many in Europe. After a long seven months of work, August is a time to switch off and disconnect - with many flocking to picture-perfect destinations to soak up some sun.

Even so, a vacation away - for many Europeans - is still a privilege rather than a given.

According to Eurostat estimates, around 29% of people aged 16 and over in the EU were unable to afford a one-week trip in 2023.

In 2022, meanwhile, 62% of the EU population aged 15 and over travelled away from home at least once on a non-work trip. This only includes holidays of more than one overnight stay.

In other words, 38% of EU citizens didn't go away at all during the year for a personal holiday.

Eurostat doesn’t, however, specify whether this was for financial reasons.

In Spain, the proportion of the population who can't afford a one-week holiday is 33%.

In Italy, this total is 32%, while France and Germany recorded results of 25% and 23% respectively.

With a total of 60%, many citizens in Romania are skipping holidays - as is the case in Bulgaria (44%) and Hungary (43%).

To look at countries in Europe but outside the EU, Norway is an outlier at the other end of the spectrum.

Here, only 7.9% of people are economically prevented from travelling.

The differences between nations are "typically related to the strength of a country's economy," Professor Lynn Minnaert, Dean of the School of Hospitality at the Metropolitan State University of Denver, told Euronews Business.

"Countries at the bottom of the list have higher GDPs than those at the top of the list," she added.

Professor C. Michael Hall, from the Department of Management, Marketing, and Tourism at Canterbury University, said: "The level of disposable income is clearly important as this