Americans Hesitant to Travel to Europe Due to Ongoing War

Russia’s conflict with Ukraine has made many Americans wary of visiting abroad this year. The war is playing spoilsport to many people’s travel plans just as Covid restrictions were easing worldwide and things began to look promising for the European travel industry.

“The continuous battle, which is being shown on television and social media, certainly has Americans reconsidering travel to Eastern Europe,” says James Ferrara, president of InteleTravel, an online travel business with a network of over 70,000 independent travel consultants.

According to Ferrera, the reduction in ticket sales and cancellations, postponements, and reduced reservations for Croatia, Czechia, Poland, and other countries has contributed to the tight booking scenario.

The conflict began just as many were planning summer vacations, which will impact the tourist business since travelers will now avoid Europe.

According to the MMGY Travel Intelligence poll, “62% of Americans cite the war in Ukraine spreading to neighbouring countries as a reason for postponing their trip to Europe”.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) had earlier warned that this would occur, stating that European countries, particularly neighbouring ones, would be harmed by the conflict.

The conflict may have the greatest impact on Russia, which could see its enormous domestic market weakened because of the sanctions imposed.