Tourism: The favourite European destinations for Romanians in 2024 were London, Milan and Rome

London, Milan and Rome were the most visited cities this year by Romanian tourists, being, at the same time, the cheapest destinations from the point of view of flight tickets, according to an analysis made an online tourist agency."As expected, the top most visited cities in 2024 are London, Milan, Rome, Brussels, Barcelona, Madrid, Paris, Vienna and Istanbul, cities known either for their large Romanian communities or for their tourism potential, with tourists frequently choosing city-break holidays. Residents of Romania's major cities had different preferences for the destinations they flew to most in 2024. From Bucharest, most travellers chose London, Rome and Milan. Travellers from Cluj flew most often to Bucharest, Paris and Milan, as did those from Timisoara. Last but not least, travellers from Iasi travelled most often to Brussels, Paris and Milan. This diversity highlights, in addition to Romanians' preference for European cities, the better air links created between Romanian regions and the main hubs in Europe," a Vola.ro press release said.   As regards the countries with the highest flow of Romanian travellers, Spain and Germany occupy the third three positions, followed by France and the UK.The average fare for an air ticket in 2024 was €152, with significant variations by month. January was the most affordable month for travellers, as well as the month in which, year after year, Vola runs its Ieftinuarie campaign, with the lowest airfares of the year. For example, tickets bought by Ieftinuarie for the month of August were on average 27% cheaper than they would have been if purchased in the month of departure. At the other end of the scale, August, the holiday month par excellence, was the most expensive. The period February – September was, in general, cheaper as compared to 2023, which encouraged many Romanians to profit from accessible prices and book new holidays. On the other hand, for the rest of the months, there were small tariff increases, especially in December, the month which had high demand for holidays type city-break for the Christmas fairs in Europe.Milan stays the cheapest city from the point of view of flight ticket prices, with an average tarrif of 107 euro in 2024. There follows Rome with 122 euro and London with 123 euro."There are, however, some interesting records: the cheapest ticket in 2024, at just €40, was to Ouarzazate, Morocco, an increasingly popular country with Romanians. At the opposite pole, the Cayman Islands was the most expensive destination, with an average fare of €2,262," the paper added.   The cheapest days to book were Tuesdays and Saturdays, when travellers took advantage of more affordable fares to plan their holidays in advance. Sunday, by contrast, was the most expensive day for such transactions, probably due to the custom of booking tickets at the weekend, when people have more time to search for deals, which increases demand. In terms of departures, Tuesdays and Wednesdays proved to be the most accessible days, with travellers often choosing these days for cheaper and less crowded flights. Friday, Sunday and Monday, by contrast, were the days with the highest fares, as they frequently coincided with either the start or end of the working week, as well as weekend getaways. Low-cost airlines, Wizz Air and Ryanair, were the most favoured airlines by Romanians in 2024, with their advantages being, in addition to lower prices compared to scheduled airlines, their varied route portfolios. They were followed by TAROM and HiSky.   In terms of average length of stay, most Romanians stayed, on average, 3-6 days at their destination. The most popular choice remains the four-day option, further proof that city-break holidays are still a favourite among Romanians. And if the shortest stay lasted just one day, Vola.ro also recorded the longest stay at the destination: 155 days.   Vola.ro offers a full range of travel services for individuals and companies, including flight bookings, refundable ticket options, hotels, holidays, travel insurance. In 2024, Resource Partners, one of the leading regional private equity fund managers in Central and Eastern Europe, acquired an 80 per cent stake in the ITH Group of which Vola.ro is part.