Perhaps Paris' soaring trendiness can be partially attributed to the popularity of the Netflix series 'Emily in Paris', which depicts a pretty idyllic version of the ancient French capital.
But, whatever the reason, the City of Lights has managed to surpass all other European hotspots as the top destination among luxury leisure travelers last year, according to the global travel agency network Virtuoso.
Based on an analysis of intel from its data warehouse, transactions for travel to Paris exceeded $63.6 billion last year, making it the most-booked European city in 2022. And, Virtuoso's hotel analytics shows the same trend continuing into 2023, with Paris outstripping the Continent's other perennially sought-after tourist destinations like London, Rome and Venice.
On a global scale, New York City was 2022's most-booked city overall and is presently pacing at 13 percent ahead of last year. But, this year, Paris is outshining everywhere else, currently pacing an incredible 96 percent higher than in 2022; which was in itself an incredible tourism year, having attracted 44 percent more trip bookings than during its last high-watermark year, 2019.
It comes as no surprise, then, that Paris is also the most expensive out of the top three European destinations to visit at the moment. The city's hotel rates are tracking at 30 percent higher than in the Italian capital and 21 percent higher than in the British capital.
Average daily hotel rates for leisure stay bookings at Virtuoso hotels in Paris are now 33 percent higher than in the pre-pandemic days of 2019.
Given Paris' eternal allure as a center of culture, fashion, the arts and gastronomy, and its reputation the city for romance, affluent globetrotters remain undeterred by rising travel costs.
Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, France. (photo via narvikk/E+/Getty Images)
To date, these are Virtuoso's Top 10 Most-Booked Cities for leisure travel this year:
1. Paris
2. London
3. New York
4. Las Vegas
5. Nassau
6. Rome
7. Miami
8. Santa Monica
9. Washington, D.C.
10. Venice
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