by Donald Wood
Last updated: 10:15 AM ET, Wed August 17, 2016
In a new study from Auto Europe, the company is breaking down noticeable trends from United States citizens who are renting cars while overseas.
According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Travel and Tourism Office, the volume of travel to Europe by American citizens was up 7.1 percent over the first five months of 2016 as compared to the same time period last year.
The number of U.S. and Canadian travelers renting cars while traveling abroad was also up.
In terms of the most popular European pickup location booked by Americans, Italy finished in the top spot with 23.5 percent of all bookings made thus far in 2016. France was the second most popular with over 17 percent and Great Britain rounded out the top three with almost 10 percent.
Ireland almost cracked the top three, but was less than one percent behind Great Britain.
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The study also broke down which cities were most popular for car rental pickups, with travelers from the U.S. putting Dublin, Ireland, No. 1 overall and helping Lisbon, Portugal, jump 11 spots to round out the top 10 list.
In addition, Auto Europe found that American and Canadian travelers who rented cars in Europe picked up their vehicles at airports far more than at downtown or rail station locations.
As for the outlook for 2016, the study sees the industry continuing to climb. With the strength of the U.S. dollar and the popularity of fall and winter travel for Oktoberfest and European Christmas events, the numbers should continue to climb in the second half of the year.
For more information on the study, check out the official website of Auto Europe.
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