Summer travel boom: Europe returns to pre-pandemic travel levels. Image: Delpixel / Shutterstock.com.
This year, demand for summer travel across Europe has fully recovered and is returning to pre-pandemic levels.
This is evident from a report by a travel intelligence agency Ahead tests analyzed flight searches from January to April 2024 and revealed notable trends.
London saw the biggest increase in flight searches in summer 2024, by 1.9 percentage points, and now accounts for 5 percent of all flight searches to the EU.
The Paris Olympics stimulate demand for travel
The excitement surrounding the Olympic Games in Paris also creates greater demand for travel.
Paris saw a 0.5 percentage point increase in flight searches.
Although the share is slightly lower, this is probably because many visitors plan their trips well in advance.
Other destinations showing growth are Istanbul (up 0.4 percentage points), Rome (up 0.7 percentage points) and Milan (up 0.7 percentage points).
In contrast, destinations in Spain, Greece and Portugal, such as Athens, Lisbon, Madridand Palma de Mallorca are seeing a decline after high demand in the post-COVID years.
In Eastern Europe, Tirana continues to rise in popularity following its recent success, along with Yerevan and Tbilisi.
Change travel preferences
Ticket data for July and August 2024 shows a shift in consumer preferences.
Travel to nature destinations increased by 19 percent, while urban destinations saw an increase of 14 percent.
Traditional sun and beach destinations saw an increase of 8 percent.
This indicates a growing interest in diverse travel experiences beyond the typical beach vacation.
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