![Time-Tasting Places in 3 Current Releases [THE POWER OF THE DOG, PASSING, NO TIME TO DIE]](https://jonathanrosenbaum.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/000thepowerofthedog-1024x576.png)
![Hilton Used BBQ-Stained Sheets—Then Told The Guest ‘You Should’ve Asked for Full Housekeeping’ [Roundup]](https://viewfromthewing.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/bbq-stained-sheets.jpg?#)
.png?#)
ForwardKeys: Europe’s top picks for US travellers in 2025
US tourists, trailing only Chinese in global spending, are vital for global destinations. ForwardKeys' new forecasting tool, capturing trends including low-cost carrier data, predicts steady preferences for London, Paris, Rome, and Dublin, while revealing growing interest in Nordic and secondary European cities for 2025. This insight helps destinations tailor strategies effectively. The article ForwardKeys: Europe’s top picks for US travellers in 2025 first appeared in TravelDailyNews International.
With US tourists representing the second highest international tourism spend globally – $158.7 billion USD in 2023 according to Statista— trailing only Chinese travellers, understanding their travel intentions and emerging trends is of huge economic importance to destinations worldwide. Accurately forecasting these trends allows destinations to optimise their marketing strategies, infrastructure, and resource allocation to capitalise on opportunities and mitigate potential downturns. To address this need, travel intelligence leader ForwardKeys has developed a cutting-edge 12-month forecast, launched in February as part of its Destination Gateway solution. Built on the company’s proprietary Total Air Market algorithm, their accurate forecast now also includes low-cost carriers, which is not typically shared by airlines. This provides a precise, comprehensive, month-by-month picture of the year ahead in air travel, enabling users to anticipate evolving travel trends and predict demand.
Applying the tool to focus on US outbound travel to Europe for Summer 2025 reveals some interesting shifts in travel behaviour — with implications for those destinations relying on transatlantic visitors to boost local economies.
No change to the top four choices for US tourists
According to ForwardKeys’ analysis, the top four destinations from summer 2024 – London, Paris, Rome, and Dublin – are projected to remain the most popular choices for US travellers in 2025.
Forecasted Arrivals from the U.S.A. arriving to EU27 & UK destinations between July and August 2025
Beyond the top tier, however, more pronounced ranking fluctuations emerge amongst the European destinations.
Shifting preferences for city breaks
Berlin and Porto are each expected to climb three spots, driven by forecast growth of 8% and 9% respectively. Further down the list, Bilbao and Faro will see significant growth, forecast to climb 6 and 15 positions respectively.
Decline in US travel to former favourites
While London remains popular with transatlantic visitors, the city is projected to experience a 2% decline in visitor numbers compared to last year. Reykjavik too, despite Icelandair’s popular stopover program, is forecast to see a 12% drop in US arrivals.
Nordic nations to welcome more US tourists
Helsinki (+16%) and Copenhagen (+3%) are predicted to attract more US tourists this summer, potentially due to increased competition and improved long-haul connectivity. Notably, direct flight capacity between the US and Helsinki has surged by 59%, highlighting growing demand, and a pivot westward following the invasion of Ukraine and the impossibility for Finnish carriers to fly over Russia.
“Understanding the evolving travel preferences of US tourists is crucial for destinations looking to optimize their strategies. While traditional favourites like London, Paris, and Rome remain strong, we’re seeing notable shifts, such as rising demand for Nordic and secondary European cities. With our latest forecasting capabilities, destinations can anticipate these trends with greater precision, allowing them to adapt marketing, connectivity, and infrastructure plans to capture opportunities and mitigate potential slowdowns.” says Olivier Ponti, Director Intelligence & Marketing, ForwardKeys.
The article ForwardKeys: Europe’s top picks for US travellers in 2025 first appeared in TravelDailyNews International.
