The Easter Travel Outlook for Europe

For many Europeans, the Easter holiday marks the first opportunity of the year to take time off from work or studies and enjoy a much-needed vacation. And with such a diverse choice of destinations only a short-haul flight away, many travellers opt to stay local — planning trips within the region.

Travel patterns during this period are particularly insightful, as Easter travel often acts as a key indicator of European travel demand ahead of the summer holidays. As Easter falls on a different date each year, traveller behaviour tends to shift in response. 2025 is no exception. Intra-European travel during the Easter period reveals some changing trends compared to 2024.

Editor’s Note: Luis Millan will be a keynote speaker at the upcoming Arival 360 | Valencia event, where he’ll share a data-driven outlook for the summer travel season in Europe. 

Easter Escapes: The Travel Outlook for Spring 2025

What should operators expect the upcoming Easter holiday to look like for bookings? The following travel patterns offer some indication:

1. More travellers are planning a springtime getaway

European flight searches made for Easter travel (7-21 Apr 2025) have increased by 36% compared with the comparable period in the previous year (18 Mar – 1 Apr 2024). This suggests that with the holiday falling later in the year — and more time having elapsed since the Christmas holiday period — international travel is a more attractive prospect.

2. Europeans flock to the beach for the Easter break

A later Easter means warmer weather, especially in southern Europe, and this is reflected in a surge in interest for “sun & beach” destinations — with flight searches up 59% over the same period in 2024. This may also reflect a desire amongst travellers to take advantage of the Mediterranean sunshine before peak temperatures occur later in the year.

3. Balearics and Eastern Mediterranean see the largest increase

Palma de Mallorca has seen the most notable increase in travel intent for the period, with a 0.7 percentage point rise in share size following a +79% YoY growth in searches. Further east, Greek and Turkish destinations — Heraklion, Thessaloniki, Istanbul, and Antalya — also see strong performance increases over 2025, gaining between 0.4 and 0.5 percentage points.

4. City destinations attract a lower share of Easter tourism

Urban (+28%) and shopping (+26%) destinations have also gained traction but at a rate somewhat below the overall 36% growth trend. Some major European cities will see their relative share of intra-regional visitors decline — albeit by less than one percentage point — including Amsterdam (-0.9 pp), Geneva (-0.6 pp), London (-0.6 pp), Paris (-0.5 pp), and Berlin (-0.4 pp).

About the Author

Luis Millan is the Head of Research at ForwardKeys, the leading travel analytics and forecasting firm in Europe. He has over eight years of experience in travel intelligence, and has worked closely with Destination Management Organizations (DMOs), hospitality groups, travel retail companies, and other industry leaders to create data-driven strategies and assess the impact of major events on travel demand.

Learn More About the Outlook for Europe at Arival 360 | Valencia

Join Luis Millan at Arival 360 | Valencia, 28-30 April 2025, for a plenary session focusing on the summer outlook for travel in Europe. The session will feature exclusive forecasts and insights for the upcoming high season, and explore the latest traveler trends, booking behaviors, top destinations, spending patterns, and key source markets shaping the summer ahead. We hope to see you there!

Header Photo: Provided by ForwardKeys