Holiday travelers are flocking to Europe for an exotic holiday season.
Demand for travel to Europe has surged since early this year, spurred by the post-pandemic travel boom and the U.S. dollar strength motivating American travelers. Korean American travel agencies are offering a range of tours for the holiday season to meet the increasing demand.
“Flights to Europe during the Christmas holidays can cost up to $2,000, so we are offering 30 to 40 percent savings by securing tickets in advance,” said Samho Tour. “We have arranged distinctive Christmas tours with direct flights to Western Europe, Spain/Portugal, Paris, and Italy, with only a few spots remaining due to popularity.”
Aju Tour reported a 15 to 20 percent increase in travelers compared to last year, saying, “Young people prefer France, Switzerland, Spain, Italy, and the U.K. because the holiday atmosphere is more vibrant than in the U.S. For our 40th anniversary next year, we’ve launched an early bird Europe special with discounts of up to $700 when booked by the end of this month.”
Similar trends are reported by other Korean American travel agencies.
“London, Paris, Rome, Prague, and Barcelona are popular destinations and our Christmas tours to Prague and Germany are almost fully booked,” said Pureun Tour.
Four Seasons Tour and Travel said, “Families of four and small groups of six to eight are up 40 percent in demand volume. Paris, London, Madrid, Milan, and Venice are favorites. Bookings for tours to Italy, Spain, Portugal, and four other Western European countries have already exceeded 50 people.”
“Europe has a unique atmosphere and sentiment during the Christmas season, so once you’ve been there, you’ll want to come back. Paris, Prague, Milan, Vienna, and Rome are among the most prime destinations in Europe,” said Mire Travel.
Americans traveling to Europe for the holidays are up 21% from last year, according to the 2023 European Holiday Destination Index by insurance company Allianz Partners.
The most popular destination for holiday travelers is London, which is known for its colorful lights and festive holiday markets, holding the top spot since the survey began in 2016. Paris continues to hold onto second place, followed by Madrid, Rome, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Dublin, Frankfurt, Lisbon, and Milan.
The Iberian Peninsula has also emerged as a top destination, with Barcelona seeing the largest increase in traveler volume, up 61%, followed by Lisbon (47%) and Madrid (37%).
Other top European cities include Prague, which grew by 52% to take 16th place in the overall popularity ranking, breaking into the top 20 for the first time since the pandemic. Geneva saw a 12% increase to 19th place, returning to the top 20 for the first time since 2017.
The report was based on more than 1.3 million travel itineraries booked online for the holiday season and the number of round-trip flights and travelers to Europe departing from U.S. airports between November 22 and next year January 4.
BY NAKI PARK, HOONSIK WOO [park.naki@koreadaily.com]
