An analysis of Trip.com travel data reveals the wish list of destinations this Christmas, chosen by European users of the global travel platform.
London was the most searched for place by European Trip.com users looking for destinations this Christmas, with fellow European cities Paris and Istanbul making the top five.
Trip.com’s European customers also showed a desire to revisit Asia, with Bangkok and Manila being the second and fourth most searched-for flight destinations this December.
Travellers in the UK continued to explore the best of Britain, with London being the most searched-for destination during the month of December. Data reveals that domestic trips to London were up by a dramatic 232% compared to 2019, before the pandemic.
The easing of travel restrictions in Asia has also caused a jump in popularity for trips to the region, with Bangkok, Manila, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore all being in the top five most searched for destinations by Brits.
Andy Washington, Trip.com General Manager EMEA, said: “December is a popular time for getaways to destinations near and far for Europeans, and Trip.com data shows where our users are searching this festive season to go visit.
“Our data analysis reveals London in the UK is still the top sport according to our search history for Trip.com users looking to travel this month, with popular holiday Asian hotspots like Bangkok, Manila, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore also making the top five.”
For Italian users of Trip.com, the country’s domestic tourism hotspots proved the most popular, with no other destinations – short of long-haul – appearing in Trip.com’s top five.
The most searched for destinations for December getaways were Milan in the north of the country, Catania, the capital Rome, Naples and in fifth place, Palermo in Sicily.
Meanwhile, French users of Trip.com set their sights on exotic long-haul destinations and aside from one major French city – Paris – where searches have reached 96% of 2019 levels.
According to Trip.com data, the most searched for destination was the country’s capital, followed by New York, and in third place Bangkok with Istanbul in Turkey in fourth place and in fifth position, Dubai in the Middle East.
Among German users of Trip.com, Istanbul was the most searched for destination in December followed by Bangkok. Interestingly the cities in third, fourth and fifth places were German domestic destinations; Frankfurt, Berlin and Munich.
Spanish users of Trip.com chose the Spanish capital of Madrid and the capital of Catalonia, Barcelona, as their top two favourite destinations. London was selected as their third, followed by France as their fourth and the capital of Argentina as their fifth.
For the British market, an analysis of UK Trip.com users revealed that in December the most searched for destination was the country’s capital, London, followed by Bangkok in second place and Manila in the Philippines as third. Maintaining the Asian theme, Kuala Lumpur appeared in fourth place, followed by Singapore in fifth.
Inbound travel to Europe has also remained strong this winter, despite economic headwinds, as Asian travellers returned to the continent for post-pandemic trips.
During December, flight searches reveal that after domestic travellers, the largest inbound market for the UK was Spanish tourists, followed by Thai, German and Chinese holidaymakers.
Across the other European nations, domestic travellers lead the way, with the highest number of regional searches. However, data reveals visitors from Canada, Turkey and the US also led Europe’s inbound travel revival.
Travellers to Europe also continued to immerse themselves into the culture of each country, with bookings for tickets and attractions on the rise.
In the UK, The London Eye on the city’s South Bank proved the most popular attraction this Christmas, followed by the Tower of London, near the world-famous Tower Bridge.
In France, the most popular attractions are Disneyland® Paris & Walt Disney Studios Park and
Eiffel Tower, as travellers enjoy the city’s famous sights and sounds.
Italy, Spain and Germany also saw strong bookings for the most popular attractions of the Vatican Museum & Sistine Chapel, Park Guell and Neuschwanstein Castle, respectively.
