This year, travelers are increasingly choosing to skip Europe’s most visited cities and coastal areas in favor of less visited summer destinations. Fresh data provided to Bloomberg by Chase Travel shows the cities with the biggest year-on-year increases in tourism this summer include such unusual destinations as Brussels, Munich, Zurich and Warsaw. (Data based on cardholder spending shows London, Paris and Rome remain the top cities for bookings.)
The shift in focus towards secondary cities largely reflects rising prices in Mediterranean hotspots such as the Amalfi Coast, as well as record heat on the continent, industry experts say. Due to soaring inflation, the average price of a luxury room in Europe will top $1,700 in 2023, nearly double the 2019 figure of $900, according to Virtuoso, a luxury travel advisory group. Those record numbers will rise another 9% this summer, says Misty Belles, Virtuoso’s vice president of global public relations. “It influences where people choose to book,” she says.
“We’re seeing a desire to travel to places or destinations where prices aren’t as high,” Belles explains, echoing Chase’s findings. “If you can’t afford Italy, France or some traditional destinations, Belgium is a better option.” A Google Hotels search shows five-star Brussels hotel rooms available for under $500 in the first week of June; in Paris the price is closer to $900.
Belles also says travelers are willing to try alternative destinations in the face of Europe’s heat wave. Last year was the continent’s second warmest year on record, with each month of 2024 bringing new records. With the mercury rising to 118F in places like Sardinia last summer, the average high of 75F in Zurich looks awfully attractive.
And that doesn’t even include the crowd.
“Last summer in Europe it was very crowded and incredibly hot,” says Belles. The combination has caused more people to look further north in Europe, with Virtuoso bookings to the Netherlands up 33%, Austria up 31% and Germany up 26%, she said.
“Don’t worry about Italy, everything will be fine,” says Belles. “But other parts of Europe are starting to attract significant numbers of people.”
One place where economic growth has caused concern is Amsterdam. The city ranks as Chase’s fifth fastest-growing destination city, despite tourism figures that have prompted the government to launch a “stay away” campaign to discourage mass tourism.
Rebecca Masri, founder of luxury travel app Little Emperors, has a solution for those determined to return to old favorites despite the prices, weather and crowds: go after Labor Day. After all, she says, the traditional European summer season no longer feels like it ends in August.
She said: “Our high season for places like Italy and Greece is now September.”
Here’s a list of the fastest-growing summer destinations among European cities, if you want to take Masri’s advice.
Europe’s fastest growing urban destinations
- Brussels (up 73% year-on-year)
- Munich (63%)
- Zurich (59%)
- Warsaw (55%)
- Amsterdam (54%)
- Vienna (53%)
- Shannon, Ireland (53%)
- Zagreb, Croatia (51%)
- Prague (49%)
- Budapest (48%)
Source: Chase Travel