While some research shows that U.S. travelers are turned off on travel to Europe, data from travel insurance comparison site, Squaremouth.com, found that at least in the short-term, the continent remains popular.
The company analyzed its spring break travel data to reveal the current trends, and the research points to recovery this spring.
One key finding is that Italy has regained popularity for the spring travel season. Italy fell to the 10th most popular destination for travel during this busy period during 2020 when the pandemic all but halted international travel. Traditionally, the country was in the number-two spot.
This spring break, Italy has started to regain its popularity, accounting for 4 percent of trips booked on Squaremouth.com. Only Mexico (11.6 percent) and the U.S. (19 percent) comprise a larger traveler share.
It's not just Italy. Europe as a whole has risen in popularity since bottoming out during the pandemic. Travel to Europe fell off the map as a result of border closures and quarantine restrictions but, this spring break, U.S. travelers are returning in droves. In addition to Italy, France and Spain have also returned to the top 10 destinations list.
Domestic travel during spring break still remains higher than normal.
In 2020, domestic travel comprised almost 90 percent of trips in 2020. It has decreased a bit, now that the situation with COVID-19 is normalizing, however, it is still higher than pre-pandemic years. This year, Squaremouth found that 23 percent of spring break trips are remaining stateside, compared to 13 percent in 2019.
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