Europe’s travel hotspots are changing this summer

Cities with the biggest year-on-year tourism increases this summer include such off-the-beaten-track destinations as Brussels, Munich, Zurich and Warsaw

Travelers are increasingly choosing to bypass Europe's most visited cities and beach resorts in favor of less-traveled destinations for their summer vacations this year, according to new data from Chase Travel shared with Bloomberg.

Key takeaways

• Industry experts say the shift to secondary cities is being driven by rising prices in Mediterranean hotspots like the Amalfi Coast and record heat across the continent;
• Rising inflation will push the average luxury room rate in Europe to more than $1,700 by 2023, according to data from Virtuoso, a luxury travel advisory group. That's nearly double the $900 average in 2019, and rates are expected to rise another 9 percent this summer;
• In response to Europe's heat waves, travelers are exploring alternative destinations. Last year was the second-warmest on record for the continent, and 2024 has continued to break temperature records month after month. With temperatures reaching 118°F in places like Sardinia last summer, Zurich's average high of 75°F seems very appealing.

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