Off-Season Travel Bookings Surge as Tourists Fill Europe’s Major Cities | National News

If it feels like everyone you know is heading to Europe right now, you’re right. As of this writing, there are 113.6 million posts on TikTok about “European Summer.” That’s just a taste of the chaos some of Europe’s biggest tourist centers face right now, overwhelmed with more visitors than they can handle.

Larger-than-life crowds of camera-wielding tourists have many major European destinations scrambling for solutions — but what can travelers do to beat the hordes?

For many, the answer is skipping Europe this summer entirely. Instead, a record number of travelers are opting for off-season vacations and choosing travel itineraries that prioritize lesser-visited spots. It’s a trend that is already transforming the travel industry in the region.

Summer Swell

Calling Europe’s travel industry “booming” understates its success. At the start of 2024, the region’s tourist arrival increased 7.2%, and overnight stays jumped 6.5% compared to pre-pandemic levels.

The European Travel Commission projects a 6% projected increase in European travelers’ trips this summer. The findings follow a summer of spectacular crowds in some of Europe’s most prominent cities. Many destinations took drastic measures to tackle overtourism.

Following last season’s sea of visitors, the Acropolis in Athens capped its daily number of visitors at 20,000 per day and implemented a new hourly entrance system. Meanwhile, Venice instituted its controversial “day-tripper tax” in April to discourage the nearly 20 million annual visitors from spending less than a day in the city — or encourage them to stick around.

Travelers feel tourism’s growth as they juggle crowds, high-cost essentials like hotels to travel gear, and inaccessible bucket list destinations booked out weeks in advance. 

As a result, bookings in late fall to early spring surged among major travel brands and boutique travel planning services. In February, international arrivals surpassed the month-over-month rate pre-pandemic levels.

Windstar Cruises

Windstar Cruises, the renowned fleet of small luxury cruise ships sailing everywhere from the Caribbean to Tahiti, is one brand pivoting to meet changing demand. When the recently-renovated Star Legend yacht was repositioned to the Mediterranean last fall due to unrest in the Middle East, Windstar discovered just how enticing the Mediterranean’s “off-season” could be for travelers.

Windstar’s limited-time Legendary Winter Mediterranean Cruises quickly led to a dedicated Mediterranean sailing season. Itineraries traced a dreamy route across Italy, France, and Spain, embarking from Rome and Barcelona. 

Ports included Livorno, Italy, as the gateway for Tuscan destinations like Lucca, Pisa, and Florence and the French Riviera’s most vibrant cities like Nice and Marseilles.

Despite gorgeous, spring-like weather, off-season travel to these legendary locales meant enjoying museums, galleries, and cafes almost exclusively with locals, with just a handful of visitors in sight.

The upcoming season promises more variety for Mediterranean-bound travelers. New itinerary highlights for the 2024/2025 season include journeys like Winter Italy & the Dalmatian Coast, which will sail from Rome to Venice and offer stops at ports such as the walled city of Dubrovnik, Croatia, and Messina, Sicily, for a memorable day trip to idyllic Taormina.

Another new option, Windstar’s Southern Spain Winter Escapes itinerary, will offer a 9-day journey from Barcelona to some of Spain’s most iconic coastal destinations. An extraordinary New Year’s sail departs Barcelona on December 30 and arrives in Palma de Mallorca, one of Europe’s most vibrant places to celebrate the new year.

Small Ship Luxuries

Off-season travel will not entirely bypass crowds, but the largest of Windstar’s intimate ships carries a maximum of only 342 passengers. The small cruise is closer to a floating boutique hotel than the larger-than-life floating cities that turn many travelers off from cruises.

Windstar Cruises’ impressive vessels appeal to travelers looking to escape the crowds regardless of the season. “Smaller cruise ships have access to ports that other larger ships can’t visit, allowing travelers to explore lesser-known destinations and smaller cities,” says Janet Bava, Chief Commercial Officer of Windstar Cruises. “This access offers travelers the opportunity to easily wander on their own or pick a shore excursion and enjoy cultural experiences in less tourism-focused areas.”

The luxury line’s meticulously curated experiences and port destinations are among the many factors driving passengers back to Windstar again and again.

“I’ve done dozens of Windstar cruises, and I’d go absolutely anywhere with them,” shares Lance S., a passenger on one of Windstar’s sails from Rome to Barcelona during the company’s inaugural winter season in the Mediterranean. “The itineraries are always inspiring. Windstar really takes care of you well; you always feel like you’re having a one-of-a-kind experience.”

What’s Next

For now, travelers can do little but seek out less-visited destinations this summer in hopes of finding relief from the crowds. But for those travelers who can’t miss the opportunity to take in some of Europe’s most bucket list sights, pass on TikTok-able European summers for a blissful, budget-friendly European winter instead.