This winter, data from Allianz Partners’ 2023 European Holiday Destination Index found that U.S. citizens are flocking overseas in record numbers. Just how hot is seasonal travel in popular destinations across the pond? The travel insurance and assistance company revealed that American holiday travel to Europe is up 21% in comparison to 2022, and places like Barcelona are seeing a 61% jump in visitors year-over-year (YOY).
To those who keep an eye on travel trends, this information comes as no surprise as Europe recently wrapped on a booming summer travel season with many of said travelers being U.S.-based. Allianz Partners itself reflected on the country’s uptick in visitors a few months ago in its summer travel survey where it found that American trips to Europe were up 55% YOY in 2023.
To determine the most popular European destinations for the 2023 holiday season, Allianz Partners USA reviewed over 1.3 million travel itineraries across the peak holiday travel period. It also considered roundtrip flights departing from U.S. airports between November 22, 2023, and January 4, 2024.
The results of Allianz Partners' 2023 European Holiday Destination Index. (Courtesy of Allianz Partners)
After compiling the data, Allianz Partners declared London, England; Paris, France and Madrid, Spain the top three cities where U.S. travelers are bringing on the cheer with each seeing a 24%, 7% and 37% increase in visitors since 2022, respectively.
“The continued rise in Americans traveling internationally for the holidays proves there’s still plenty of catching up to do when it comes to checking off their European bucket list,” said Daniel Durazo, director of external communications at Allianz Partners USA. “Travel insurance for international trips should be on everyone’s pre-trip planner to help protect against unexpected covered events as well as medical emergencies while traveling. Travel insurance can provide reimbursements for covered unexpected travel mishaps like travel delays, trip cancellations or interruptions, lost baggage and medical emergencies, and 24/7 travel assistance can help with many travel-related problems.”
Other noteworthy insights found by the index include Prague in the Czech Republic which saw a 51% increase in visitors, putting it back on Allianz’s Top 20 list for the first time since pre-COVID levels in 2019. Similarly, Geneva, Switzerland (up 12%) was listed for the first time since 2017.
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