ITB Says City Travel Still Popular Despite Paris Attacks

The world may be seeing an increase in the number of terror attacks in metropolitan areas, but this is not hindering travelers from including popular and populated cities in their itineraries, the ITB says.

According to the ITB World Travel Trends Report, city trips are the fastest-growing segment of the international leisure travel market as Europeans, Asians, North and South Americans are still opting for attractive destinations in nearby countries or abroad. The rise has been driven by cheap flights and low-cost accommodation as well as novel attractions and activities.

However, despite the positive outlook in the aftermath of the Paris attacks, concerns are growing over the impact of large masses in very popular destinations. In Venice, for example, sector professionals are troubled about the impact of large numbers of cruise passengers arriving simultaneously and then flooding the city’s narrow streets to see the main sights at the same time.

City trips soared by 82 percent between 2007 and 2014 to reach a 22 percent share of all outbound holiday trips worldwide, according to IPK’s World Travel Monitor. In Europe, city trips rose to about 20 percent of all outbound holiday travel last year from approximately 15 percent in 2007. European cities are especially popular with US and Canadian tourists. Hong Kong, Paris and New York are the top three city destinations with London, Macau, Bangkok, Barcelona, Singapore, Istanbul and Munich following.

The ITB World Travel Trends Report is carried out by tourism consultancy IPK International on behalf of ITB Berlin.