Aussies are swapping the winter chills for summer thrills in Europe en masse this year. Emirates reports 440,000 Australian travellers are heading to popular and emerging European destinations in June, July and August 2024 plus some interesting travel preferences among Aussies that agents need to know.
The top European destination for Aussies is the UK, followed by the perennially popular summer holiday hotspots of Italy, Greece, France and Spain.
Rounding out the top 10 European destinations list for Aussies were Portugal, Ireland, Netherlands, Denmark and Croatia.
It seems Australian travellers have also received the memo about overtourism in Europe with some emerging destinations also making the top 10 list.
Emirates data showed a 13 per cent increase in passenger bookings to Croatia and an eight per cent hike for Portugal for summer 2024 compared to the same period last year.
Europe travel trends for Aussies
Unsurprisingly, Australian leisure travellers stayed longer in Europe with an average of 15 days, while business travellers spent one week on average.
When it comes to travel preferences, solo travellers (40%), couples (35%) and families (14%) comprised the majority of Emirates bookings by Australians.
Italy and Greece are trending as romantic getaways for Aussies with 43 per cent of bookings to these European destinations.
Meanwhile, families favoured a more diverse mix of European destinations, visiting Italy, Greece, Ireland and France for their Continental adventures.
Emirates Divisional Vice President Australasia Barry Brown said the airline has responded to Australian travel demand for Europe with increased route capacity and additional services.
“To keep pace with this incredible demand, we’re expanding our services with a focus on choice and comfort. This includes the continued rollout of our popular Premium Economy cabin across our network, increased upgauging on key routes popular with Australians and the reinstatement of our Adelaide services,” he said.
Daily direct Adelaide-Dubai services will recommence from 28 October 2024 and mark the final step in the restoration of Emirates’ pre-pandemic services to Australia.
Europe booking trends for Aussies
More Aussies are booking earlier in the same year for their European summer trips during school holiday periods and prioritising comfort and luxury on long-haul routes, according to Emirates consumer data.
Coinciding with the Australian school holidays, June 2024 was Emirates’ busiest period with 44 per cent of passengers travelling to European destinations during this month.
The airline also revealed that 39 per cent of Australian travellers book flights for European destinations four to six months ahead, 28 per cent secure their tickets seven months prior and just eight per cent book more than seven months in advance.
When it comes to seat preferences, Aussies are increasingly opting for premium cabins for international flights with Emirates Premium Economy averaging over 90 per cent load factors from Sydney and Melbourne.
For more info, head to emirates.com
