April emerging as 'the' month to visit Europe

If you are planning a trip to Europe, there is an emerging insight on the best month to arrive.

Australian and New Zealander’s have overwhelmingly favoured September as the month to land in Europe. In fact, since 2017 (COVID affected years excluded), Ormina Tours’ September arrivals averaged 24% of the entire year. The delayed national border opening in November 2021 pushed September 2022 arrivals to 28%.

In 2024, April is emerging as one of the most popular arrival months for the first time. Our advance bookings for April '24 arrivals has outstripped 2023 by three fold. We forecast this to hold true for the year, with April forecast at 12% of 2024 and September arrivals to dilute to sub 20%. This emerging April phenomena is seemingly driven by 4 factors:

1. The 2023 summer heat wave. While not confined to Europe, the 2023 summer was Earth’s hottest on record and travellers are looking to escape the heat and travel in temperate months.
2. Most hotels have shifted to dynamic pricing since COVID. This means that as capacity levels fill, room rates have increased significantly, compared to historical levels. Therefore less-visited months like April represent outstanding value compared to May through September.
3. Winterscape’s aside, the European travel season starts after Easter. Since 2000, Easter Sunday has fallen between March 23 and April 24. Easter 2024 lands on March 31 and the early date opens April for increased arrivals.
4. Capacity levels within the hospitality and travel sectors have not returned to pre-COVID levels and this combined with significant European demand has tested the industry. Smart travellers are focusing on earlier arrivals where ground operators are fresh from their off season, compared to later months where there is a higher risk of fatigue that may adversely affect service levels.

It is not too late to cash in on April. Ormina Tours are European experts and our European reservation team await your call. We would love to host you in Europe in the coming year. Don't wait, get there early!

Ross Ioppolo CEO Ormina Tours

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