Many people are rethinking European getaways this spring in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to a new report. Europe currently accounts for 15% of bookings, down from 21% a few weeks ago, travel-booking app Hopper found.
Many people are rethinking European getaways this spring in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to a new report.
In the days since, demand has dropped. Hopper’s analysis found that searches for roundtrip flights between the U.S. and Europe decreased by 9% on average related to expected levels. “This impact is not seasonal, and not seen for flights to other regions nor in the domestic U.S. market,” Hopper economist Adit Damodaran wrote in the report.
Europe, meanwhile, currently accounts for 15% of bookings, down from 21% a few weeks ago. At this same time in 2019, European itineraries represented around 30% of bookings. Airfares to European destinations have risen over the past month by roughly 16% on average as of mid-February. This isn’t typical for this time of year — back in 2019, airfares were flat between January and February. These increases, though, aren’t directly the result of the conflict in Ukraine.