This year, summer travel demand across Europe has fully recovered, returning to pre-pandemic travel levels.
A report from travel information company ForwardKeys found that an analysis of flight searches from January to April 2024 found that London, which accounts for 5% of flight search share for trips to the EU, will benefit from the largest relative increase in search share for summer 2024 trips, at 1.9 percentage points, VisaGuide.World reports.
Paris Olympics boosts demand for flights to Europe
The study also found that excitement over the Paris Olympics and good transport links to the French capital are driving growth: Paris showed similar popularity, up 0.5 percentage points, but saw a slightly lower share of searches as many of the Olympics visitors made direct flight plans earlier.
Destinations that have seen growth due to increased popularity include Istanbul (+0.4pp), Rome (+0.7pp) and Milan (+0.7pp), while destinations in Spain, Greece and Portugal, such as Athens, Lisbon, Madrid and Palma de Mallorca, are losing popularity after years of high demand in the post-COVID era.
In the eastern EU region, Tirana continues to grow in popularity following its success in recent years, followed by Yerevan and Tbilisi.
Ticket data for trips to EU city destinations for July and August 2024 shows a 19 percent increase in consumers' preference for nature. At the same time, city destinations increased by 14 percent, outpacing an 8 percent increase in traditional sun and beach destinations.
This was reflected at a regional level, with Central and Eastern Europe seeing year-on-year growth in international arrivals of 25 percent, Western Europe at 15 percent and Northern Europe at 13 percent, outpacing Southern Europe, which saw an 11 percent increase.
Overall, the picture is bright for destinations around the world hoping to attract lucrative European tourists in the coming years. With the demand and booking disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic now fully behind us, the 2024 summer season is poised to set a new benchmark for European travel, both within the region and beyond.
International travel from Europe is also on the rise, with both intra-European travel (+14%) and long-haul travel to Asian markets (+16%) increasing year-on-year.
Asian destinations remain the preferred choice for EU outbound travellers
According to ticketing data for the period July-August 2024, European travellers are increasingly choosing to travel further afield to explore the landscapes and cultures of the following countries:
- Beijing (+132 percent)
- Osaka (+66 percent)
- Bangkok (+21 percent)
- Colombo (+21 percent)
- Kuala Lumpur (+14 percent)
US markets such as Chicago and Miami also recorded increases of 14% and 9%, respectively.
