Israel’s holiday season may be over, but Europe is already preparing for the peak winter travel period and the opening of its Christmas markets. Travelers hoping for a traditional European Christmas getaway may find themselves paying considerably more this year in some of the continent’s most popular destinations.
A special analysis conducted for ynet by Israeli travel website lastminute.co.il found that average airfares to several destinations have risen by dozens of percentage points compared with last year. In other cities, however, prices have fallen sharply.
The steepest increase was recorded on flights to Austria. The average fare to Salzburg climbed about 60%, from 398 dollars last year to 637 dollars this year. Vienna rose about 57%, with the average ticket increasing from 324 dollars to 510 dollars.
Other significant increases were recorded in Bucharest, where fares rose about 52% from 366 dollars to 556 dollars, and Krakow, where the average price climbed roughly 43% from 356 dollars to 508 dollars.
Travelers willing to be flexible about their destination could save hundreds of dollars. In Zurich, the average airfare fell about 32%, from 482 dollars last year to 328 dollars this year. Munich recorded a decline of roughly 25%, from 520 dollars to an average of 388 dollars. Prices also fell on flights to Amsterdam, Budapest and London.
Christmas in Salzburg
(Photo: shutterstock)
Christmas market in Zurich
(Photo: shutterstock)
The figures illustrate how much destination choice can affect the cost of a Christmas vacation this year. An average ticket to Salzburg costs 637 dollars and Vienna 510 dollars, compared with 388 dollars for Munich, 401 dollars for Budapest and 465 dollars for Prague.
“The figures this year show that there really is no single ‘Christmas price’ for Europe,” said Asaf Greenberg, vice president of marketing at lastminute.co.il.
“We are seeing destinations becoming more than 50% more expensive while at the same time there are cities where prices are falling by dozens of percentage points, even though the travel period and the tourist experience are similar.”
Greenberg said Christmas represents a short travel window with concentrated demand, meaning the supply of cheaper tickets shrinks as the holiday approaches.
“Combining flexibility over the destination with booking earlier can produce significant savings in the final cost of the vacation,” he said.
Data from the website also show an increase of about 10% in demand and bookings for the final 20 days of December compared with the same period last year. The list of destinations favored by Israeli travelers has also changed.
Athens and Berlin entered the top five for bookings this year, while Bangkok and New York dropped out. The five leading destinations this year are Prague, Budapest, Dubai, Athens and Berlin. Last year, the top five were Bangkok, Prague, Dubai, Budapest and New York.
At the same time, bookings for destinations including Munich, New York, Salzburg and Krakow are currently running below last year’s levels.