After the attacks in Paris and Brussels, the outlook for tourism in Europe this summer held some uncertainty. According to a comprehensive survey of U.S. travelers' plans, however, the outlook is good — at least for most cities.
As a whole, Europe attracted an increase in U.S. travelers of 9.3%, from 471,823 in 2015, to 515,676 in 2016, according to Allianz Global Assistance, a travel insurance company. Allianz reviewed hundreds of thousands of bookings by U.S. travelers from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
London was the most popular destination, with 74,057 bookings representing a 6.8% increase from last year.
Paris, the most high-profile destination targeted last year, held its spot at number two but recorded only a .6% increase in flight bookings, to 50,301.
But along with the winners are the losers, and redistribution has channeled tourists from cities targeted in attacks to underrated destinations with much to offer (and a "safer" reputation).
The Irish cities of Dublin and Shannon, for example, recorded increases of 42.8% and 46.5% year-over-year, respectively. Athens, Greece, and Lisbon, Portugal, will both see increases of more than 42%, and Amsterdam, Netherlands of 34.5%.
Bookings to Brussels, meanwhile, decreased 30.4% year-over-year. That took the city from 10th most popular in 2015, all the way down to 26th this year.
"We’re pleased to see that summer travel to Europe will still be strong despite recent acts of terror on European soil," Daniel Durazo, Allianz' director of communications, said in a statement. "We’re seeing many travelers purchasing travel insurance so that they have the option to cancel or interrupt their trip."
The top 15 European cities for U.S. travelers this summer are:
London
Paris
Rome
Dublin
Barcelona
Athens
Madrid
Amsterdam
Frankfurt
Milan
Venice
Zurich
Edinburgh
Munich
Shannon
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