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Traveling to Europe this summer will be much more expensive upfront. This year, many European families are choosing to vacation domestically, and if they do travel abroad, they won't go too far. Because of long-distance travel, airfare is the biggest expense that has increased.
The Czech newspaper Lidové noviny published a chart showing that aviation fuel prices have risen sharply since the beginning of this year. Compared to this time in 2021, airfares have increased by almost one-fifth.
The article states: "The sharpest increase is on long-haul flights connecting Europe with Asia. Besides fuel prices, the cost of bypassing Ukrainian and Russian airspace is also factored into the ticket price."
According to the article, many airlines have yet to re-establish Asia-Europe routes, resulting in very expensive airfares that remain difficult to purchase due to the limited number of flights.
Several factors have contributed to soaring travel costs in Europe, but the European tourism industry is recovering strongly after the pandemic. (Image: Internet)
This summer, there's an important detail that everyone booking airline tickets should pay attention to, according to an article in the French newspaper Ouest-France: don't just look at the listed price, check for any additional fees. Even Air France now sells tickets for passengers, without baggage, and you'll have to pay extra if you bring even just one suitcase.
If you want to choose seats with in-flight meals, late or cancellation insurance, or lost baggage insurance—all details previously included in the ticket price—are now charged separately. Cancellation or flight changes also incur significantly higher fees.
Airfare is just one of many expenses when going on summer vacation. The Swiss newspaper Basler Zeitung published an article titled: "Airfare, hotel, car rental: Everything is expensive."
According to the article, hotel room prices in Greece have increased by 47.5% compared to before the pandemic, and in Italy by 43%. In short, hotel room prices have almost doubled, while car rental prices have tripled. For example, the article states: "In 2019, renting a self-drive car in Mallorca cost 27 Euros a day for Easter; this year it has risen to 77 Euros."
In addition, food costs have also increased. According to a restaurant owner interviewed by the Danish newspaper Politiken, electricity and gas bills have risen by 30-40% in a short period, food ingredients have increased by about 10%, not to mention the need to raise wages just to find staff.
Several factors have contributed to the soaring cost of travel in Europe. While the European tourism industry is recovering strongly after the pandemic, this year it is still primarily relying on domestic tourists.
