A new infographic from travel data specialist Sojern reveals some interesting findings, including a strong expected influx of tourists to European destinations this summer, as the Euro weakens. The quarterly report is based on rigorous analysis of more than 800 million traveller intent data points from across the globe.
Weaker currency and warmer weather proves popular for European travel as terror attacks prove a deterrent for travellers to Tunisia.
Searches for Europe have risen during the first quarter of the year. The continent is now leading the way for non-domestic travel searches in a number of regions, with 45% of searches for summer travel in the Middle East and Africa, 33% of Asia Pacific, and 22% of North America for European destinations. Aside from the weaker single currency, winter is also typically the time of year when holidaymakers will begin putting together their plans for summer breaks in the northern hemisphere, and the accessibility of travel and Europe’s cultural attractions make it an obvious choice for a summer break.
At the other end of the spectrum, global searches for travel destinations in Tunisia dropped by as much as 28% at the end of the first quarter, as a result of the recent terror attack on the Bardo National Museum in Tunis. Incidents of this nature are bound to deter potential travellers, but with several governments pro-actively discouraging travel to Tunisia, a drop in searches is not unexpected.
Cuba has also experienced a positive spike in traveller interest at the start of 2015. A lot of this can be attributed to the relaxed restrictions on travel from the USA – with a huge 184% rise in online interest from the previous quarter. Searches also increased by 41% from Canada and 45% worldwide, including from countries in Western Europe, at the beginning of 2015.
View the full infographic below: