Young Brits still love to travel to Europe

Trips from the UK to Continental Europe are up by almost a quarter as British millennials remain upbeat about travel despite ongoing Brexit talks and the the fact that Britain officially leaves the EU in less than a year’s time.

Despite the ongoing uncertainty, coach tour operator Contiki has found that Brexit negotiations haven’t deterred Brits from travelling to continental Europe. According to Contiki, sales on the brand’s European trips have increased by nearly a quarter (24 per cent) since the UK’s decision to leave the EU on 23 June 2016.

The company’s booking data shows young travellers are keen to tick off European landmarks and icons, with trips travelling through multiple destinations amongst some of the best-selling.

Three out of Contiki’s top five best-selling Europe trips travel through up to nine different countries in up to two weeks. It seems young Brits are more than happy to spend their longer breaks exploring Europe’s many corners, with plenty of bucket list-worthy spots to tick off.

European hotspots

However, according to a recent Contiki Facebook poll, less than 50 per cent of respondents had visited some of the most popular landmarks in Italy, including the Grand Canal in Venice (just 48%), Leaning Tower of Pisa (37%) and the Duomo in Florence (35%). Only 13% of those surveyed have visited all eight of the popular European landmarks listed in the poll; the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame in Paris, Colosseum and Trevi Fountain in Rome, Anne Frank’s House in Amsterdam, the Grand Canal in Venice, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and the Duomo in Florence.

Donna Jeavons, director of Sales and Marketing at Contiki, said: “It’s great to see that the appetite of young Brits to explore Europe has been on the rise since the 2016 referendum, and that they want to see more and do more on their European holidays – maybe this is down to Brits feeling more of an affinity to our European neighbours since the vote.

“However, based on our poll, there is obviously so much on our doorstep that remains untapped by this demographic, with many iconic European landmarks yet to be experienced by a millennial audience.”