London, 27 August 2019 Research from Omio, Europe’s leading booking app for travel by train, bus and flight – shows British travellers are in love with Paris, which claims the majority of bookings amongst the top ten destinations for July and August 2019. Almost half (49%) of travellers booking one of Omio’s top ten most popular destinations have chosen Paris over Amsterdam (19%) and Brussels (10%); Dublin and Barcelona share fourth place for popularity with 5% of travellers each; and Berlin, Lisbon and Madrid are joint fifth place (each with 3%). Rome and Alicante complete Brits’ top ten summer destinations for 2019 with 2% of bookings each.
Paris enjoys excellent air and land connectivity to the UK with direct flight and rail services, suggesting proximity is a priority in making decisions about time away in addition to the traditional allure of the City of Lights’ attractions.
For domestic British travellers, the top ten is led by London, Manchester and Edinburgh which remain, year on year, the three most popular city escapes in July and August, although the share enjoyed by the UK capital grew from 38% in 2018 to 42% this year. Manchester holds second place with 12% both summers while Edinburgh slipped one percentage point to 10% but held on to third place in the ranking. Chasing the Scottish capital in 2019 is Birmingham in fourth place with 7%, pushing Brighton into joint fifth place with Glasgow and Liverpool, all with 6% of overall travellers.
Chris Hall, Director UKIE and Overseas at Omio, said: “Our research shows the enduring allure of Paris for UK travellers this summer, whether they’re travelling by train, bus or flight. Travellers continue to embrace the summer short haul hop and it appears that cities with the shortest travel times are the most appealing. Closer to home, whilst London is the obvious leader, the northern powerhouses of Manchester and Liverpool and well-connected Birmingham jostle with the Scottish capital for visitors numbers.
Paris is even more popular with those travelling by train and bus than those flying, with 59% of land travellers booking the French capital compared to 49% of flyers. Brussels and Amsterdam are their second and third most popular choices for those eschewing air travel, with 15% and 13% respectively.
However, those eschewing flights appear open to visiting lesser-visited European destinations, as a total of 14% British summer travellers chose Antwerp, Berlin, Bruges, Cologne, Dublin, Lille and Rotterdam placing the seven cities in joint fourth place.
Flyers head to Berlin, Lisbon and Madrid (joint fifth place, all with 3% of travellers) or Rome and Alicante (joint sixth place, with 2%).
Chris said: “The major players like Paris, Amsterdam and Brussels – and London for domestic travellers – dominate Brits’ wish lists. They have in common an abundance of things to discover and do, although less-visited cities catch the imagination of a small but significant proportion of travellers seeking summer short haul hops.”