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Travelers are increasingly opting to skip Europe\u2019s most-visited cities and\u00a0beachside locales in favor of\u00a0less-frequented\u00a0destinations for\u00a0summer vacations this year. Fresh\u00a0data shared with Bloomberg by\u00a0Chase Travel\u00a0shows that cities with the biggest year-on-year tourism increases\u00a0this summer include such off-the-beaten-track destinations as Brussels, Munich, Zurich\u00a0and Warsaw. (The data, based on cardmember spending, shows that the most-booked cities are still London, Paris and Rome.)<\/p>\n
The shifting emphasis toward\u00a0secondary cities largely reflects\u00a0surging prices in Mediterranean hotspots like the Amalfi Coast\u00a0as well as record heat on the continent,\u00a0say industry experts.\u00a0Soaring inflation put\u00a0average luxury room rates in Europe above $1,700\u00a0in 2023, according to data from Virtuoso, a luxury travel adviser group\u2014almost double 2019\u2019s $900 figure.\u00a0These record rates are set to climb by an additional 9% this summer, says Misty Belles, Virtuoso\u2019s vice president for global public relations. This is affecting\u00a0where people choose to book, she says.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re seeing a desire to go to locations or destinations where the rates aren\u2019t so exorbitant,\u201d Belles explains, confirming Chase\u2019s findings. \u201cIf you can\u2019t afford Italy, or France or some of the traditional destinations, Belgium is going to be better value.\u201d A search on Google Hotels shows rooms\u00a0at five-star hotels in Brussels available for less than $500 during the first week of June; in Paris, the price is\u00a0closer to $900.<\/p>\n
Belles also says that travelers are willing to try alternate\u00a0destinations in the face\u00a0of Europe\u2019s heat waves. Last year\u00a0was the\u00a0continent\u2019s\u00a0second-warmest on record, and each month of\u00a02024\u00a0has brought further records. With the mercury having risen to 118F in places like Sardinia last summer, 75F average highs in Zurich look awfully appealing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And that\u2019s without considering the crowds.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast summer, Europe was so very crowded, on top of being unbelievably hot,\u201d says Belles. The combination has made more people seek\u00a0destinations further north in\u00a0Europe, she explains, with bookings at Virtuoso to the Netherlands up 33%, bookings to Austria up 31% and those\u00a0to Germany 26%.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t worry about Italy, it\u2019s going to be fine,\u201d\u00a0Belles says. \u201cBut other parts of Europe are starting to attract significant numbers.\u201d<\/p>\n
One place where\u00a0growth has triggered\u00a0concern is\u00a0Amsterdam. The city ranks fifth among\u00a0Chase\u2019s fastest-growing destination cities, despite\u00a0tourism figures that led the government to launch a\u00a0\u201cstay away\u201dcampaign\u00a0to discourage\u00a0mass tourism.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca Masri, founder of luxury travel app Little Emperors, has a solution for those dead set on returning to old favorites despite prices, weather\u00a0and crowds: Go after Labor Day. After all, she says,\u00a0the traditional European summer season no longer\u00a0feels as if\u00a0it ends in August.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As she puts it, \u201cOur high season for places like Italy and Greece is now September.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Here is\u00a0a list of the fastest-growing summer destinations among\u00a0Europe\u2019s cities, should you wish\u00a0to take Masri\u2019s advice.<\/p>\n
Source: Chase Travel<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\nSubscribe to The Broadsheet newsletter to stay updated on the world’s most powerful women in business. Sign up<\/a> for free.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n