New research shows a robust recovery in demand for summer travel across Europe, with a full return to pre-pandemic levels.

London has seen the greatest increase in searches for travel in summer 2024

Announcing its summer outlook for 2024, ForwardKeys, a leading travel intelligence provider, revealed the positive trend, with notable shifts in traveller preferences. 
 
Analysis of flight searches from January to April 2024 showed that London, with a 5% share of flight searches for travel to Europe, has benefited from the greatest relative increase in share of searches for travel in summer 2024 (+1.9%), driven by the collateral excitement of the Paris Olympics, with easily available transport links to the French capital. Paris itself shows similar popularity (+0.5%), although its share of searches is slightly lower as many visitors to the Games will have planned direct travel further in advance.

Paris saw a similar level of popularity to London

Istanbul, Rome and Milan also gained in relative popularity while destinations in Spain, Greece and Portugal, including Athens, Lisbon, Madrid and Palma de Mallorca, lost ground after enjoying great demand in the post-COVID years – reflecting shifting preferences among European travellers. 

Growing interest in Northern European cities Reykjavik (+0.21%) and Munich (+0.15%) reflects the popularity of destinations with cooler summer temperatures among holidaymakers.

In Eastern Europe, Tirana continues to grow in popularity, building on success in recent years, and is joined by Yerevan and Tbilisi – popular among both European and Russian tourists, due to the combination of natural and cultural heritage available and affordable prices.

There is growing interest in Northern European cities such as Reykjavik

Analysis of forward ticketing data for travel to European city destinations in July and August 2024 reveals a shift in consumer preferences towards nature (+19%) and urban (+14%) destinations over traditional sun and beach destinations (+8%). This is reflected at a subregional level as year-on-year growth in international arrivals to Central/Eastern Europe, Western Europe and Northern Europe outstrips that to destinations in Southern Europe.

Outbound travel from Europe is also displaying clear trends, with year-on-year growth in intra-European (+14%) and long-haul travel to a diverse range of Asian markets (+16%). Forward ticket data for July and August indicates that European travellers are increasingly choosing to venture further afield to explore the landscapes and cultures of Beijing (+132%) in particular, as well as Osaka (+66%), Bangkok (+21%), Colombo (+21%), and Kuala Lumpur (+14%). These destinations benefit from various factors, including improved connectivity, visa waivers for Europeans entering China, and the favourable Euro to Yen exchange rate. Moderate growth in demand for US markets Chicago (+14%) and Miami (+9%) is also notable.

Olivier Ponti, Director of Intelligence and Marketing at ForwardKeys, said: “Overall, the picture is positive for destinations worldwide looking to attract lucrative European tourism over the coming years. With the disruption to demand and bookings caused by the COVID-19 pandemic now firmly in the past, the 2024 summer season looks likely to set a new benchmark for European travel both within the region and beyond.”

Rome has also gained in popularity

Rachel Read, Director of Insight at ETOA, the trade association for tour operators selling in global markets, added: “It is a huge relief to finally be able to move forward with new travel trends, free of the shadow of the pandemic. The return in demand for urban destinations is a most welcome development, and it is encouraging to see our predictions of the halo effect of the Paris Olympics for London being borne out in the data.”

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