Americans’ Favorite Places In Europe To Visit And Live

Based on Google searches, the company has released its annual roundup of trends including, among many others, the list of the top 10 destinations favoured by U.S. travelers in 2022.

The tech giant’s ‘Year in Search’ looks at which destinations were trending this year, the flights people searched, the locations they considered, the questions they asked and more.

Included among the 10 trendiest destinations are four European countries, convincing analysts that Americans’ return to travel — or what is now known as “revenge tourism” after the Covid 19 pandemic — has given Europe a needed boost.

The value of the euro, at its lowest levels against the dollar since 2002 due mainly to the war in Ukraine, has impacted exchange rates, making traveling to Europe significantly cheaper for Americans.

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“Four of the top 10 destinations searched for by U.S.-based Google Flights users — London, Paris, Rome and Lisbon — are in Europe, which had a resurgent summer travel season this year,” reports CNN.

In order, Google’s top 10 are: London, Ho Chi Minh City, Paris, New Delhi, Toronto, Rome, Mumbai, Vancouver, Lisbon and New York.

The post-pandemic bounceback

Europe is, in fact, the fastest recovering tourism region in the world, as reported by Bloomberg: “Two and a half years post-pandemic, there are clear winners emerging in the race to bring tourism economies back to their pre-pandemic levels — and Europe is topping that list.”

“The Americans are doing the job,” Frédéric Hocquard, Paris’s deputy mayor for tourism, told CNN. “Meaning that they are coming back en masse and with a lot of money to spend.”

And those positive levels are due mostly to “strong intra-regional demand and travel from the United States,” according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)

The latest data from the organization confirms that with 477 million international arrivals from January to September this year (68% of the world total), and hitting 81% of pre-pandemic levels “Europe continues to lead the rebound of international tourism.”

The Americans are back

“It’s no surprise that travel-related searches picked up big time in 2022, as more destinations re-opened and dropped Covid-related regulations like mandatory testing,” CNN notes.

It’s equally unsurprising that Europe has seen tourism return in a big wave, to the point that during this year’s summer holiday season the most popular destinations in Spain, Portugal, France and Greece saw the numbers of visitors come close to those before the pandemic, as shown by Eurostat statistics.

Greece has been added to the most recent lists thanks in large part also to American travelers who “arriving on 63 direct flights a week have been key to making Greece the world’s third most popular tourist destination this year, according to industry figures,” writes The Guardian.

“But as officials tally the success of a sector that accounts for 25% of GDP, the spectre of over-tourism – long evident on islands such as Santorini – has spurred concerns over the dangers soaring numbers pose for the conservation of cultural gems.”

In the case of Spain, the summer saw a spike in U.S. tourists — more than 377,000 in June alone.

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Spain second most popular place to live

Also based on Google searches, a study by insurance company American Home Shield, found that after Canada, Spain is the most popular country to which Americans move residence.

“Search data shows that interest in moving abroad has soared by as much as 29% in the U.S,” the study reports, adding that “ Spain boasts Europe’s largest American population and endured a 13% rise in U.S.-born residents between 2019 and 2021.”

Various surveys confirm a recent wave of Americans relocating to Europe. As reported by Bloomberg, “Americans who can’t afford homes are moving to Europe instead” and Spain, with its mild weather, rich culture and good quality of life is naturally a big draw.

This is where Americans prefer to live in Spain

“Unlike most Europeans who favour the coast when they move to Spain, Americans prefer the inland capital region of Madrid,” The Local writes.

“According to the latest data from the INE (Spain’s National Statistics Office), as of 2021 there were a total of 11,717 Americans living in the region of Madrid. This was followed by Catalonia with 8,802 US citizens and then Andalusia with 6,658.”

Not only Americans are drawn to Spanish residence. It appears among the E.U. countries with the largest population of foreign resident, numbering some six million.

“For citizens from 12 different countries, including Sweden, Finland and the Netherlands, Spain is their top choice when it comes to deciding where to move to,” writes The Local.

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