RFP Monitoring Travel Sentiment in Long-Haul Markets Q&A

Question 1: Annex A (Methodological Note 2026) states that "a stratified sample is used to represent the travel population in each market", with respondents aged 18 and over. The most recent public Long-Haul Travel Barometer report (1/2026) describes the same sample as "1,000 online interviews with national representatives (18–70 years old) per market, per wave". Could ETC please confirm whether the target universe is a screened "travel-active" population (e.g. respondents who have travelled internationally in the past X years, or who intend to travel in the next X months), or a general adult population aged 18–70 weighted to be nationally representative?

The survey targets a general adult population, not a screened travel-active population. There is no eligibility filter based on past international travel or stated travel intention. Travel intention is measured within the survey (as the core outcome variable), not used as a condition for entry.

The achieved sample is nationally representative of adults aged 18 and over in each market, with quota targets actively managed across five age bands up to age 70 (18–25, 26–34, 35–49, 50–59, 60–70). Beyond 70, respondents are not excluded but are not actively recruited to fill quotas. Post-fieldwork weighting is applied to calibrate the sample profile to national population proportions where needed.

Question 2: Could ETC confirm the exact screening question(s) and response codes currently in use to define eligibility in each country?

Eligibility is determined at the screening stage as follows:

Residence: Respondents are asked to select their region of residence from a predefined national list. In the case of the US the regions are: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming and option Other. Anyone selecting “Other” (i.e. not residing within the target market) is screened out immediately.
Age: Respondents are asked to enter their age. Anyone under 18 is screened out. The sample is then managed across age bands

Beyond these two screens, there are no further eligibility conditions. Gender and household income are controlled through quotas but are not used as screen-out criteria.

Question 3. To allow accurate fieldwork costing and panel feasibility planning, could ETC please share, for the most recently fielded waves: The median or average interview length in minutes for the December wave (which covers two horizons of 4 and 12 months), broken down by country (Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Japan, South Korea, USA)? And the median or average interview length (LOI) in minutes for the April wave and the August wave, broken down by the same countries?- If available, the total number of questions/variables in the master questionnaire for each wave type?

LOI (Mean, Minutes)
Market	August (W33)	December (W34)	April (W35)
Australia	6	7	6
Brazil	7	8	7
Canada	6	7	6
China	8	8	8
Japan	4	4	4
South Korea	4	5	4
United States	5	5	5

Number of questions per wave:

Wave 33: 32 questions
Wave 34: 34 questions
Wave 35: 32 questions

Please note that not all questions are asked to all markets and some questions are quick to answer (yes/no questions), while others are more complicated and takes longer to answer.

Question 4: Could ETC please clarify whether the "Executive Brief" referred to in the RfP is the same deliverable as the public Long-Haul Travel Barometer report currently published?

No, these are two distinct deliverables. The Executive Brief referred to in the RFP is an internal document prepared by the contractor for the ETC team following each data collection wave. Its purpose is to highlight the most strategically relevant findings and recommend key narratives and story angles that ETC may draw upon when drafting the Long-Haul Travel Barometer report and its accompanying press release. It may be delivered in Word or PowerPoint format. It is prepared prior to the report and serves as a strategic input to ETC’s editorial process, not as a public-facing output.

Question 5. Could ETC please clarify whether the preparation of the Long-Haul Travel Barometer report is also in scope, and if so, under which line item of Annex B should it be costed?

The preparation of the Long-Haul Travel Barometer report is not in scope and should not be included in the cost breakdown. The report is prepared internally by ETC.

Question 6. Which wave is the new framework expected to start with? Assuming Aug 2026, is this correct?

The new framework agreement is expected to start in June 2026 (kick-off meeting), preparation of survey and data collection process in July, and the first wave to be launched in August 2026, providing insights on travel horizon September-December 2026.

Question 7. The RFP states 7 waves between June 2026 and June 2029. Our calculations would make it 9 waves: Aug 2026, Dec 2026, April 2027, Aug 2027, Dec 2027, April 2028, Aug 2028, Dec 2028, April 2029

The calculation is correct in that up to 9 waves could technically be conducted within the contract period. However, as stated in the RFP, the maximum number of waves that can be commissioned under this Framework Agreement is 7 (seven), with a total maximum contract value of €200,000 excluding VAT. Waves will be ordered by ETC on an as-needed basis, and ETC does not guarantee that all 7 waves will be commissioned. Tenderers should base their cost proposals on a maximum of 7 waves