Meanwhile, for many, a more standard city vacation will be later this year. “Athens and Rome are always desirable destinations, but more and more people are preferring to go there in May and October to avoid the crowds,” said Carolyn Addison, head of product at Black Tomato. He pointed out changes in the weather. It’s been stable lately, making it attractive for non-school holiday travelers.
According to Mendizabal, this increased flexibility makes it harder to define a shoulder season. The days of “getting a deal in September” are likely over as demand moves to nearly year-round and high-season pricing periods lengthen, with hotels extending their seasons. At Jumeirah Palace on the island of Capri, the season runs from March to the end of December. “Thanks to the good weather, our guests are staying longer than before,” said Ermanno Zanini, Jumeirah Group’s regional vice president for southern Europe and the UK.
Located in the Maremma countryside of Tuscany, Castello di Viccarello is traditionally open in March and November. “We truly believe that low season is a great time to discover Tuscany, so we push it as far as possible. From hiking to mountain biking to truffle hunting to wine tasting, we offer everything our guests can enjoy There are so many things going on,” says owner Neri Baccheschi Berti.
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Importantly, traveling during low or low seasons isn’t just about avoiding crowds. That means knowing that seasonal destinations are multifaceted and have year-round appeal. “One of my favorite activities in the cooler climate is hiking to the top of Mount Solaro, which offers beautiful views of the town of Capri and the Marina Piccola Bay with Faraglioni, as well as Anacapri. Birds that winter on the island You can see a lot of them,” says Zanini.
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Zanini added that they are in talks with the island’s municipalities to consider what is needed to remain open in February and March, when they have traditionally been strictly shut down. “It’s not as easy as you think. There’s a lot of infrastructure that needs to be taken care of for the low season. Restaurants and shops need to stay open and guides need to be available too. Hotels are the only culprit. That’s not the case,” he added.
However, longer operating hours create real opportunities to engage with the local community throughout the year, not to mention stabilizing recruitment slots and improving workplace culture. “We are already seeing the positive impact of a longer season for our local partners and local residents in the hospitality and tourism industry,” Addison said, adding that changing travel seasons is not a temporary trend. . “This annual travel pattern will continue to accelerate into 2025 and beyond,” she says.
Travel experts are quick to point out that even with some of these rebalancing, demand for travel to and within Europe is expected to remain strong this summer and next. Although airfares are still higher than they were at this point in 2019, 40% of all searches for international travel this summer were to Europe, the same level as last year and 2019, said Hayley Berg, chief economist at Hopper. It is said that there has been a slight increase.
