First things first, American tourists have been disadvantaged by the falling dollar. Against the euro, $1 is worth about 91 or 92 euro cents as of today, according to the mid-market exchange rate. That’s certainly better than the five-year low from December 2020 to January 2021, when the dollar hovered around 82 cents. But it’s also down from a year ago, when a dollar was worth about 95 euro cents, and it’s well down from a five-year high last September, when it peaked at 1.04 euro, according to currency conversion experts Wise.
The dollar also fell against 11 other European currencies. From Bosnia to Bulgaria, Denmark to Iceland, Poland to Romania, and Sweden to Switzerland, travelers will have a harder time exchanging dollars. While a few cents on the dollar may not seem like much in a transaction, small drops can make a difference on your credit card bill back home.
Inflation has increased and so have entrance fees. Adult tickets to the Eiffel Tower increased by 20% in June this year.
In fact, inflation has increased and so have the entrance fees. The price of an adult ticket to the Eiffel Tower increased by 20% in June. Meanwhile, the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul now costs 25 euros. And Venice imposes a 5 euro day pass fee on peak days.
Due to rising inflation, prices of goods and services in Europe are rising. This affects the cost of travel, including airfare, hotels, food and transportation. Travelers should be careful to budget carefully and look for deals to save money on their trip.
Due to the surge in tourist numbers, anti-tourism measures have been put in place for day-trippers in Venice.
According to data from the Italian Ministry of Tourism, 2023 will see 134 million visitors to Italy - the highest number in history, half of which will be foreign tourists. There are signs that 2024 will surpass this number if timely measures are not taken to limit overtourism.
Any customers booking tickets to a popular destination this year should be physically checked before they depart.
