Top five destinations for flight bookings during the first week of the Big Orange Sale were Amsterdam, Paris, Geneva, Alicante and Malaga.
14.12.2023 - 23:41 / euronews.com / Angela Symons
Looking for the perfect winter holiday? From festive light displays to powdery ski slopes, Europe has no shortage of enticing options.
But when temperatures drop, cities are the place to be. That’s the conclusion of online travel agency Trip.com, which analysed the favourite winter escapes among German, Spanish, French, Italian and British travellers.
Looking at data from late November to early March 2022 - and trips planned for the same period in 2023 - it found a clear preference for Europe’s urban hubs, with London, Barcelona and Paris being the most popular destinations overall.
Here’s the breakdown of winter travel preferences by country.
With its chocolate box villages and quintessential Christmas markets, Germany is a winter wonderland - so it’s no surprise its citizens like to stay close to home during the festive season.
In 2022, Berlin was the most popular winter travel destination among Germans, followed by Frankfurt and Munich. The capital remains popular this year in second place, with Frankfurt taking the top spot and Dusseldorf sneaking into third place ahead of Munich and Hamburg. Cologne and Stuttgart also made the top 10.
Outside of Germany, Barcelona, London and Madrid are top choices for Germans, showing a preference for major cities known for their festive celebrations.
Spanish citizens also like to keep it in the family at Christmas, with Madrid and Barcelona being the top destinations.
Spain isn’t only popular with locals: in 2022, it was the most visited destination in the EU for international tourists, with 271 million nights spent in tourist accommodation establishments, according to data recently released by the European Commission.
London and Paris have also risen as popular winter destinations among Spanish tourists in 2023, followed by Malaga, Rome, Bilbao, Valencia, Mallorca and Seville.
For French travellers, Paris is the top destination during winter, followed by London, Lyon and Rome.
The UK capital’s allure isn’t limited to Christmas - French travellers also visit for New Year celebrations and winter sales.
Nice, Barcelona, Madrid, Marseille, Lisbon and Milan also make the top 10.
In 2022, more than three-quarters of French residents travelled as tourists, Eurostat data shows.
Italians consistently favour Milan and Rome in winter, with an increasing interest in Paris, Barcelona and London.
Catania, Naples, Bari and Venice also make the top 10 within the country, along with Barcelona in Spain and Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
In 2022, Italy was second only to Spain in popularity with international tourists, Eurostat data shows.
For UK travellers, London and Manchester consistently rank as top destinations. Birmingham, with its Christmas market and huge shopping centre, is also popular
Top five destinations for flight bookings during the first week of the Big Orange Sale were Amsterdam, Paris, Geneva, Alicante and Malaga.
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After some gentle winter sunshine to warm your skin and soothe your soul? Take a trip to Gozo, an island with wonderful coastal scenery a short ferry ride from Malta. Walk along the coastline; swim in untouched waters on secluded beaches and admire the neo-Romanesque architecture of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of Ta’ Pinu. Spend the evenings eating freshly caught fish with a glass of Maltese wine, which rivals its Mediterranean neighbours in quality. Laura B
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The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) anticipates that airport security checkpoints will be busier this winter holiday travel period compared to last year.Fortunately, the agency says it's prepared to meet the surging travel demand.The official end-of-the-year holiday travel period runs from Thursday, December 21 through Tuesday, January 2. TSA is projecting that the busiest days will be Thursday, December 21; Friday, December 29, and Monday, January 1.TSA said it expects to screen more than 2.5 million passengers each of those days, signaling a 6 percent increase from 2022. The busiest day last year was December 29, when officers screened nearly 2.4 million passengers nationwide.The projections come after the TSA screened nearly 30 million passengers during November's 12-day Thanksgiving holiday period. The agency broke the record for most passengers in a single day on Sunday, November 26, screening more than 2.9 million passengers at security checkpoints across the country."We are prepared to handle the busy passenger volumes this winter holiday season," TSA Administrator David Pekoske said in a statement."TSA’s continued success during this record year for travel is a direct result of teamwork, planning and professional execution across the agency, from our frontline employees to those behind the scenes; partnerships with airports and air carriers; and innovative checkpoint technologies that improve security effectiveness, efficiency and the passenger experience," he concluded.Industry trade group Airlines for America (A4A) projects that 39 million people will board flights in the U.S. between Wednesday, December 20 and Tuesday, January 2, for an average of 2.8 million passengers per day.
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