By Julietta Jameson
Tourists at the beach in Rethymno on Crete last month. Greece is one of the top destinations for Australians during the European summer.Credit: Getty Images
Grant Weir and Mandy Muschamp headed off on a long-awaited trip to Europe, delayed due to the pandemic..
"We had not been anywhere in three years," said Weir. "There was a definite pent-up urge to get away. We had been talking about this trip for two years."
Weir, a TAFE educator, and school teacher Muschamp, both from Melbourne, visited family during their trip, which included travelling in Italy and Spain..
Grant Weir and Mandy Muschamp In Barcelona.
The pair are just one example of the Australians who have flocked to Europe for the northern summer.
"The travel industry has been kept on its toes as that pent-up demand has been unleashed," said Flight Centre's general manager, Brent Novak
Despite many international carriers still not operating at pre-COVID capacity (and also despite the unprecedented heat in some European locations), travel to destinations traditionally popular with Australians is back to pre-COVID levels or, in some cases, exceeding it.
People cross Prague's Charles Bridge in Czechia last week.Credit: Getty Images
"Between January and May this year, flight bookings from Sydney and Melbourne to places like London and Athens were well up on the same period in 2019, while flights to Rome in that time were approaching pre-COVID levels," according to Novak.
Sydney-based designer, Alex Zabotto-Bentley of AZB Creative had been a frequent traveller for work and leisure before the pandemic. He recently spent five weeks in Europe.
"After decades of several trips OS every year, to Europe, the US, South America, Bali etc, being grounded only made me more determined and committed to pack everything into a five-week creative and leisure tour of duty," he said.
Alex Zabotto-Bentley in Venice.
"I chose Europe because of so many incredible events occurring in June, culminating in one of my best friend's 40th birthdays."
In that, both Zabotto-Bentley and the Melbourne couple are part of a shift in Australian travel - according to both the Australian Federation of Travel Agents (AFTA)and Emirates Airlines, VFR travel (visiting friends and relatives), has overtaken leisure as the main booking reason for Australians.
However, AFTA CEO Dean Long said COVID restrictions are a driver for the surge in European holidaying.
"Our major markets, that is, the top destinations for Australian travellers in Asia are still primarily closed: Korea, Japan in particular, China to a lesser extent but important for people travelling to visit friends and relatives. The reason we're seeing good travel numbers into Europe is because it really is the only place with limited COVID restrictions."
While London tops international destinations on Skyscanner's Australian travel data this year, the aggregator saw a 69 per cent monthly increase in searches on flights to Italy in May.
According to Skyscanner the surge coincided with many European countries easing travel restrictions and COVID-19 measures.
A spokesperson for Emirates Airlines confirmed the UK, Italy, France, Greece and Ireland are topping the carrier's list of destinations for Australians, accounting for 50 per cent of "strong demand and bookings from Australia, with robust traffic to European destinations right through their summer," with Spain, Lebanon, Germany, Holland and Turkey completing the top 10 destinations.
The huge number of tourists travelling in Europe has contributed to problems across the continent with flight and baggage delays. London's Heathrow Airport, one of the world's busiest, has put a daily cap on the number of passengers it will allow airlines to bring to the airport as it struggles with staff shortages.
Reduced capacity among airlines as they struggle to restaff and restart services has also seen airfares increase.
Zabotto-Bentley booked his flights six months before travel. "The prices were very reasonable, indeed. I would hate to be booking a flight now – it would be carnage on the wallet."
With airfares currently at elevated levels, Flight Centre's Novak says that booking early should be every traveller's strategy to get the best price.
"The simple advice for securing the best deals for flights to Europe is get in early, and book at least six months in advance if you can. Travel to Europe for the northern summer may prove just as popular next year, especially as more airline capacity becomes available," he said.
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