When you think of fun in the summer sun, you probably think of… Germany? According to Mastercard Institute of EconomicsIt is annual travel trends reportreleased today, the country best known for its Bavarian castles and oktoberfests has landed two spots on the list of the world's 10 hottest travel destinations for next summer.
The report, which also reveals record passenger traffic and longer holiday staysranked the ten cities that gained the most share of flight bookings between June and August 2024. Beyond Germany's good results, beach holidays and tropical destinations made the list, with Frankfurt at ninth rank being joined by Oranjestad, Aruba (10), Corfu, Greece. (8), Bangkok, Thailand (7) and Bali, Indonesia (6).
As for the top five, some demand is driven by sporting events, but the desire for value for money also remains strong. Here's a countdown of the hottest destinations, based on aggregated and anonymized Mastercard flight booking data provided by third-party partners.
05
Cancun, Mexico
The ever-popular Caribbean resort ranked among the top five, driven largely by its appeal among U.S. travelers, seeing a nearly 2 percentage point increase in flight bookings. Four other Caribbean destinations – Aruba, Puerto Rico and Punta Cana and Santiago in the Dominican Republic – ranked in the top 10 for U.S. tourists.
04
Nice, France
Paris may host some global sporting competition this summer, but its effects will be felt as far south as the French Riviera. Nice, host of several football matches, is also a destination of choice for Parisians fleeing the hordes of sports fans. Investigation found that hotel bookings for Parisians traveling to other French regions increased by 49% for July.
03
Tirana, Albania
If Croatia was for years the “dupe” or double destination of Italy – the same Mediterranean sun, the same picturesque ruins, the lively nightlife – Albania is the dupe of an increasingly expensive Croatia . The capital, Tirana, is about an hour from the budget resorts of the Adriatic coast and two hours south of the Albanian Alps, ideal for hikers. It is particularly popular with travelers from northern Europe.
02
Tokyo, Japan
Japan kept its borders closed to tourists for nearly two and a half years during the pandemic and only lifted all of its COVID-19 border measures a year ago. Since then, tourism has exploded, with 3 million visitors in March, the highest since record-keeping began in 1964. A historically weak yen doesn't hurt either. In fact, Japan was the top destination according to the MEI's travel study over the past 12 months.
01
Munich, Germany
Without wishing to downplay the year-round appeal of beer and bratwurst, the Bavarian center's expected tourism boom could be attributed to hosting the tournament's opening match. European Football Championships in June. Indeed, growth comes mainly from Europe.
