Travelers are increasingly opting to skip Europe’s most-visited cities and beachside locales in favor of less-frequented destinations for summer vacations this year. Fresh data shared with Bloomberg by Chase Travel shows that cities with the biggest year-on-year tourism increases this summer include such off-the-beaten-track destinations as Brussels, Munich, Zurich and Warsaw. (The data, based on cardmember spending, shows that the most-booked cities are still London, Paris and Rome.)
The shifting emphasis toward secondary cities largely reflects surging prices in Mediterranean hotspots like the Amalfi Coast as well as record heat on the continent, say industry experts. Soaring inflation put average luxury room rates in Europe above $1,700 in 2023, according to data from Virtuoso, a luxury travel adviser group—almost double 2019’s $900 figure. These record rates are set to climb by an additional 9% this summer, says Misty Belles, Virtuoso’s vice president for global public relations. This is affecting where people choose to book, she says.