Data analysis by Trip.com has revealed a huge surge in U.S. travellers flying to Europe, with inbound visitor numbers up by nearly 250% in the first six months of this year.
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The significant rise shown by Trip.com's data highlights the healthy rebound in transatlantic travel, which appears to signal a return to near pre-pandemic travel levels.
Flight bookings from the USA to key European markets were up 246% in the first half of 2022, compared to the same period in 2021.
The most significant leap in transatlantic flights was recorded between July and August 2021, when U.S. bookings for flights to Europe rose by 162%.
Over the past year, the U.S .dollar has gained around 14% in value against the euro and British pound, with the dollar recently hitting parity with the euro for the first time in two decades.
The advantageous currency rates have translated to more European trips for U.S .travellers that are 10-15% less expensive for Americans than at the same time last year.
The strong dollar and weaker euro and pound sterling look set to help speed up the recovery so that it exceeds earlier projections that travel will return sooner to pre-pandemic levels.
When looking at the data for preferred European markets, people can see that between January and July 2022, the most popular European market for U.S .departing flights was the United Kingdom.
Spain was the second most popular market for travellers to Europe from the US, followed in turn by France, Italy and Germany.
Trip.com's further data analysis shows that London and Paris were the top European destinations for Americans between January and July this year. Meanwhile, the highly-competitive New York to London route remained the most popular for U.S .travellers, followed by Los Angeles to Paris, then Los Angeles to London.
As evidence of the UK's enduring popularity with U.S .visitors, Trip.com data recorded a huge 678% increase in views for U.S .to UK flights when comparing the first half of 2022 with the same period in 2021.
Meanwhile, other markets also saw a substantial rise in U.S .consumer interest, with a similarly impressive 614% increase in views for flights from the U.S .to Spain and a 577% increase from the U.S .to Italy, followed by a 491% increase from the U.S .to France. ■