According to a survey by Allianz Global Assistance, Americans are continuing to choose London, Paris and Rome as their preferred European holiday destinations with travel to these cities increasing significantly, while travel to Iceland has plunged.
American travel to Europe is up 25 percent over last year, overall, according to Allianz, and the Top 10 European destinations held onto their rankings since 2018, with frontrunners including London (49 percent), Paris (57 percent), Rome (34 percent), Amsterdam (28 percent), and Madrid (18 percent).
Iceland, which appeared on last year’s list at #11, dropped to #31 and will see 84 percent fewer American visitors to the Nordic country. The decline in travel numbers could be as a result of the collapse of national air carrier WOW Airlines earlier this year. Scandinavian neighbors including Rovaniemi, Finland and Stockholm, Sweden (#27) each received high gains in American travelers at 154 percent and 71 percent, respectively.
Allianz reviewed 701,583 million itineraries during the peak holiday travel season for departures from U.S. airports to European destinations from Wednesday, Nov. 20th, 2019 and returning by Monday, Jan. 6th, 2020.
“Travel to Iceland has fallen off a fjord, while London, Paris and Rome continue to fly high,” said Daniel Durazo, director of marketing and communications at Allianz Global Assistance USA in press material. “According to our data, travel to Europe has increased dramatically this holiday season, perhaps fueled by the increasing popularity of river cruising. Wherever you’re headed, don’t let canceled flights, missed connections or lost luggage turn you into a grinch this holiday season: buy travel insurance when you book your trip to help protect your travel investment and give you peace of mind.”
The results from their survey showed that Florence (#20), the third Italian city in Allianz’s Top 20 European Holiday Travel survey, will see an increase of 46 percent of Americans over last year, while Milan (#11) rises by 35 percent; Venice, which came in at #18 last year and is currently experiencing historical flooding, dropped three spots and is out of the Top 20. Czech capital city Prague jumped six spots to #13, with a 42 percent increase in American travelers, and Athens, Greece increased by 32 percent and now claims the 16th most popular European holiday destination title.
Allianz Global Assistance offers travel insurance through most major U.S. airlines, leading travel agents, online travel agencies and directly to consumers.
For more information, visit allianztravelinsurance.com. Travel to the Dominican Republic is also on the rise.
