This summer, travelers are shunning Europe’s busiest cities and coastal areas in favor of less-traveled destinations. Cities with the biggest year-over-year increases in tourist numbers this summer include lesser-known destinations like Brussels, Munich, Zurich and Warsaw, according to the latest data provided to Bloomberg by Chase Travel. (London, Paris and Rome remain the most-booked cities, according to data based on cardholder spending.)
The shift in emphasis to second-tier cities largely reflects soaring prices in Mediterranean hotspots like the Amalfi Coast and record heat on the continent, industry experts say. Surging inflation will drive the average room rate at a luxury hotel in Europe to more than $1,700 in 2023, nearly double the $900 it cost in 2019, according to data from luxury travel advisory group Virtuoso. Those record prices are set to rise another 9% this summer, according to Misty Bells, vice president of global public affairs at Virtuoso, who says that’s influencing where people choose to book.
“There’s a growing desire to go to places and destinations where prices are not as exorbitant,” Belz explains, corroborating Chase’s findings. “If you can’t afford Italy or France or the traditional destinations, Belgium is a better deal.” A Google Hotels search shows that five-star hotel rooms are available in Brussels for under $500 in the first week of June. In Paris, prices are closer to $900.
Bells also says that in the face of Europe’s heatwaves, travelers are willing to try alternative destinations. Last year was the continent’s second-warmest year on record, and every month of 2024 is setting new records. Given that temperatures soared to 118 degrees Fahrenheit in places like Sardinia last summer, Zurich’s average high of 75 degrees looks very appealing.
And that doesn’t take congestion into account.
“Last summer in Europe was incredibly hot and incredibly crowded,” Bells says. This combined to encourage more people to seek out destinations further north in Europe, she explains, leading to a 33% increase in bookings on Virtuoso to the Netherlands, a 31% increase to Austria and a 26% increase to Germany.
“Don’t worry about Italy, it’s fine,” Bells said, “but other parts of Europe are starting to attract significant numbers of tourists.”
One place where growth is causing concern is Amsterdam, which was ranked fifth among the fastest-growing tourist destinations in Chase’s survey, even as rising tourist numbers prompted the government to launch a “stay away” campaign to stem the influx of mass tourists.
Rebecca Masri, founder of luxury travel app Little Emperors, has a solution for those who are determined to return to old favorites despite the price, weather, and crowds: Travel after Labor Day. After all, she says, Europe’s traditional summer season no longer feels like it ends in August.
As she puts it, “high season in places like Italy and Greece is now September.”
If you want to follow Masri’s advice, here is a list of Europe’s fastest-growing cities for summer travel.
Europe’s fastest growing city
Brussels (73% increase from last year), Munich (63%), Zurich (59%), Warsaw (55%), Amsterdam (54%), Vienna (53%), Shannon, Ireland (53%), Zagreb, Croatia (51%), Prague (49%), Budapest (48%)
Source: Chase Travel
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