US travellers booking holidays to Europe this summer
More Americans are forgoing the traditional summer road trip and instead packing their bags and passports for a European holiday this year
According to Allianz Partners’ Top 10 Summer European Destinations review, travel to Europe will soar a staggering 600 per cent over last year as countries re-open for visitation from the US.
The travel insurance and assistance company analysed more than 40,000 flight itineraries for trips of five to eight days in length between Memorial Day and Labor Day to determine that London retains the lion’s share of all planned trips with 22 per cent of bookings, likely spurred by the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee festivities marking the British monarch’s 70 years of service. Paris (#2) and Dublin (#3) also remain atop Europe’s most sought-after vacation spots for 2022 summer travel.
Other top destinations include Reykjavik holding steady at #4, while Lisbon jumps into the #7 position, returning to the list for the first time since 2019. Rome and Edinburgh moved up to #5 and #6 respectively after Athens fell three spots from 2021 to #8 this year. Barcelona (#9) and Amsterdam (#10) round out the roster, each slipping one position from last year’s rankings.
Americans eager to visit Europe this summer
“The pandemic made people realise you can't take travel for granted and many Americans are eager to visit Europe this summer,” said Daniel Durazo, Director of External Communications at Allianz Partners USA. “European destinations have made a significant effort to welcome Americans back and our data shows tremendous pent-up demand for travel to the continent. International travellers should always consider travel insurance plans that provide reimbursement for covered trip cancellations and medical emergencies that may occur while travelling.”
The survey also reviewed planned travel dates and trip length for those headed across the Atlantic this summer season. While countries remained on lockdown, Americans accrued a sizable stash of vacation days, and the survey indicates that of those headed abroad, 75 per cent will spend seven days on vacation this summer and 11 per cent are planning for eight days away from home. The travel insurance and assistance company’s review also found that 27 May is projected to be the most popular travel day, kicking off the Memorial Day weekend and the unofficial start to summer.