If you’re curious about Europeans’ priorities with their leisure time, a recent survey has offered an insight. 

The visualization above is based on the data from the Mastercard Economics Institute’s spring 2026 survey. 

Published on May 12, it reveals the top 10 experiences Europeans want to do more of this summer. 

TL;DR

• 79% of Europeans say they want to travel more this summer, the highest-ranked experience in a Mastercard survey of 27,000+ people, followed by food experiences (70%) and outdoor activities (69%)
• Every single category in the top 10 scored above 60%, meaning no experience sector is struggling with desire.

A Dataset Where Nothing Scores Low

The lowest-ranked categories are historical or heritage experiences and theatre performances, both at 62%. 

In most consumer surveys, 62% agreement would represent a strong majority result. Here, it represents last place.

The range from first to tenth is only 17 percentage points. 

That narrow spread tells us that Europeans are not choosing one or two summer activities at the expense of everything else. 

They are expressing broad, distributed desire across the entire experience landscape. 

Interest in Films

Film-related experiences rank sixth at 66%, above family activities, outdoor games, heritage, and theatre. 

This is not primarily about cinemas. “Film experiences” in 2026 covers a wider territory, such as: 

• Outdoor screenings
• Film festivals
• Location-based tourism tied to popular productions
• Immersive fan experiences
• Travel specifically motivated by filming locations. 

The success of productions shot across Europe (from the Scottish Highlands to the Croatian coast) has turned the film industry into an active driver of physical tourism. 

Wellness Above Family

Wellness and health-related experiences (68%) rank above family-oriented experiences (63%). 

It hints that the wellness economy has moved from a premium niche into mainstream summer planning. 

Spa retreats, yoga holidays, hiking, and nutrition-focused travel have become aspirations across the income and age spectrum, not just for the affluent. 

Do These Show in Spending Behavior? 

The Mastercard Economics Institute’s survey is informed by actual spending data covering 2024 and 2025. 

The categories where stated desire most exceeds recent spending (wellness, live events, film experiences) represent the commercial frontier for summer 2026.

Travel, which leads aspiration at 79%, also leads recent spending data. 

The alignment between what Europeans say they want and what they have already been spending on confirms that travel is not aspirational in the abstract sense. 

It is a real, committed, and ongoing expenditure priority even under cost pressures.

ELI5

Mastercard asked over 27,000 Europeans what they want to do more of this summer. Almost everyone said travel. But the surprising part is that every single thing on the list (from eating out to watching theatre to going outdoors) also scored really high. Europeans basically want to do more of everything this summer, not just one or two things.

Source: 

Mastercard Economics Institute