The turmoil in the travel industry resulting from the Years of the Virus is finally subsiding, as UN Tourism, a specialised agency of the UN, predicted at the beginning of 2024. Industry sources, like ITB Berlin, report that ‘the international travel climate is returning to pre-corona levels in many places’.
Even with higher costs due to concerning economic issues such as rising inflation, people are still eager to put the unfortunate restrictions behind them and hit the road. Back in April, Reuters was reporting that ‘the number of travellers globally is set to hit historic levels, with 4.7 billion people expected to travel in 2024 compared with 4.5 billion in 2019’. As Charuta Fadnis, Senior Vice President of the agency Phocuswright, puts it : ‘It is the first year after the pandemic in which there are no longer any Covid restrictions. We expect the industry to generate around 1.6 trillion dollars worldwide, which is more than in the last pre-Covid year.’
David Pekoske, Administrator of the American Transportation Security Administration (TSA), commented on the subject during the last week of August that people are travelling more than ever this summer. In the United States, the summer's high season is drawing to a close with the Labour Day weekend. TSA expects the passenger volume to be 8.5% higher than last year during this time.
From Car Rental Gateway’s perspective, the number of transactions our platform has facilitated has reached record levels during the peak summer travel season. This success is due to the strong performance of our partners. Our statistics show that the top countries where most travellers come from are the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Canada, Mexico, Australia, and Brazil, completing the top ten. The duration of the rental period has roughly remained the same in the top pick-up locations. On average, car rental lasted for 7.7 days, compared to 7.9 days in the same period in 2023.
By and large, US residents exhibited the greatest sense of wanderlust, partly because the US dollar has remained predominantly strong, allowing travellers from the States to stretch their budgets further. According to a website Schengen.News , ‘72 percent of tourist spending has been in Western European destinations.’ It seems that the average American traveller stays true to the classic, tried-and-true hotspots, even as more affordable and less-travelled locations continue to emerge.
With seven out of the top ten pick-up locations in the region, Europe remains the most visited continent. Among the most popular rental pick-up spots, three are located in France, two in Italy, and one each in Spain and Portugal.
Lisbon Airport, secured the tenth spot on our list, serves as a gateway to the city of Lisbon and its surrounding several UNESCO World Heritage sites, making it a major attraction for European tourists.
France remains the most visited country overall while also securing three spots on our top ten list of the most popular pick-up locations. In terms of the popularity of pick-up locations, Nice Côte d'Azur Airport ranks fourth, ahead of Paris Charles de Gaulle and Orly, which are ranked fifth and eighth overall, respectively. The popularity of France endured despite the Summer Olympic Games, which paradoxically led to a decrease in hotel and flight bookings in Paris, as Euronews reports. Potential visitors who were not interested in the sporting event stayed away due to concerns over soaring prices and an influx of sports fans, echoing the tongue-in-cheek saying that nobody visits the place anymore because it’s too crowded.
Italy’s Rome Fiumicino Airport ranks seventh among car rental customers, while Milan, the fashion and shopping capital, is ninth with Malpensa Airport.
Palma de Mallorca in the Balearic Islands is Spain's third-busiest airport after Madrid and Barcelona, and also the overall third most popular car rental pick-up location among our partners.
Los Angeles Airport was the runner-up for the most popular pick-up location during the peak travel season. Overall, the most popular pick-up location is Orlando Airport in Florida, with Miami Airport also making the top 10 list at number six. According to the website of the Governor of Florida , ‘the state attracted 34.2 million visitors in the second quarter of 2024, which is a 1.7% increase compared to last year.’
The global tourism industry bounced back strongly in the first three quarters of 2024, with record numbers of travellers. Even after all the devastation caused by the pandemic, people have not forgotten their love for exploring new places. With travel volumes now surpassing pre-pandemic levels, it is only right to look forward, not back.
