Study: Where do Asian tourists travel in Europe?

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One of the world’s leading accommodation sites and part of Nasdaq-listed Priceline Group announced today the results of its most recent Travel Smart study, which shows the top-growing European destina

One of the world’s leading accommodation sites and part of Nasdaq-listed Priceline Group announced today the results of its most recent Travel Smart study, which shows the top-growing European destinations for Asian travelers. Though Asian travelers still love Paris and London, bookings in smaller European cities are growing at a much faster rate.

The study compared millions of hotel bookings made by Agoda travelers in Asia in 2014 and 2015. Hallstatt, Austria, was the fastest growing European destination with more than twice as many bookings in 2015 as the year before, followed by Fussen, Germany and Glasgow, Scotland*.

Top 10 (2014 vs 2015 growth)

1
Austria
Hallstatt
101.4%
2
Germany
Fussen
87.3%
3
United Kingdom
Glasgow
85.1%
4
United Kingdom
Oxford
78.3%
5
Czech Republic
Cesky Krumlov
70.7%
6
Germany
Heidelberg
66.9%
7
Austria
Salzburg
63.9%
8
France
Avignon
60.7%
9
Switzerland
Grindelwald
59.5%
10
Switzerland
Interlaken
56.5%

1
Austria
Hallstatt
101.4%
2
Germany
Fussen
87.3%
3
United Kingdom
Glasgow
85.1%
4
United Kingdom
Oxford
78.3%
5
Czech Republic
Cesky Krumlov
70.7%
6
Germany
Heidelberg
66.9%
7
Austria
Salzburg
63.9%
8
France
Avignon
60.7%
9
Switzerland
Grindelwald
59.5%
10
Switzerland
Interlaken
56.5%

Hallstatt, a beautiful ancient salt mine village and UNESCO world heritage site, has been a popular destination for Chinese tourists for the past few years, so much so that the Chinese built a replica of it in Guangdong in 2012. But it’s not just Chinese tourists anymore. Visitors from all over Asia contributed to its growing popularity.

Number two on the list, Fussen, Germany is home to a fairytale 19th century castle, Neuschwanstein. Castles in general seem to be a popular draw for Asian tourists, as destinations 5, 6 and 7 on the list — Cesky Krumlov, Heidelberg and Salzburg — are also know for theirs.

London and Paris didn’t make the top 10, but the UK and France are still well represented. Glasgow and Oxford took 3 and 4 on the list, while Avignon took the 8th spot.

*The study looked at destinations with more than 1,000 bookings in 2015.

About the author

Avatar of Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen Thomas Steinmetz has continuously worked in the travel and tourism industry since he was a teenager in Germany (1977).
He founded eTurboNews in 1999 as the first online newsletter for the global travel tourism industry.

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