Why Europe is Trending

Mexico and the Caribbean have always been top vacation spots. But there’s a new destination in town and its name is Europe, and we can see evidence of this growth even on VAX.

AARP’s 2018 Travel Trends survey found that of their respondents who plan to travel internationally, Europe was a top choice, along with the standard favorites of Mexico and the Caribbean. What’s interesting with this survey result is that AARP’s survey respondents aren’t just retirees – they survey people 20+ years old, giving them a pretty good selection of people.

Last year, TripAdvisor published their 2018 Travel Trends Report which found that seven out of their 10 most popular experiences in 2017 in the world were in Europe. They also found that historical and heritage tours were the fast-growing experience categories in 2017 – up 98% year-over-year for U.S travelers.

The idea of heritage tours is a trend within a trend, if you will. According to Dustin Hicks of Mark International, a big reason why travelers are choosing Europe is because of the increased popularity of wanting to know your roots. “Vacationers now have a new mission when it comes to traveling and for many, that’s tracing back your lineage to your ancestral home and ‘walking in the footsteps of your kin,’” Hicks says. He credits the popular ancestry and genealogy websites for this.

Hicks sees a few other factors for the European travel trend: “[travelers] are looking for ‘bucket-list’ destinations and with an increase in lift and a reduction in rates to get there, more and more vacationers are going across the pond.”