Spain has lost the scepter of Europe's most popular tourist destination, as the United Kingdom tops the list now that travel is back after two years of pandemics and travel restrictions.
As of March 2022, Britain has surpassed Spain to become the top destination for European travelers, according to a Mastercard report on this year's travel trends.
The UK revival as a hot spot for travel is partly due to the government's decision to lift all remaining travel restrictions in March, marking the end of almost two years of measures. These included expensive Covid tests and quarantine, according to Bloomberg.
Once restrictions on incoming travelers to the UK are eased, flight bookings have risen from 59% below 2019 levels to 40% above the pre-pandemic period of about six weeks, the report shows. Travelers from the Middle East and Africa also flock to the UK more than any other country.
"If flight bookings continue at their current rate, it is estimated that they will fly 1,5 billion more passengers worldwide in 2022 compared to last year," the report said. Europe will see the biggest increase, with 550 million more flights scheduled to be booked this year compared to 2021.
Source: moneyreview.gr