Where are Romanians headed in the off-season?

As summer extends into September, bringing cooler yet sunny days across Europe, many are still vacationing, with Romanians taking advantage of shoulder-season discounts.

According to a tech travel platform, off-season travel prices (starting from September 1st) are on average 8% cheaper than in summer. The average ticket for trips until the end of the year is €137, compared to €151 over the past three months.

Romanians are securing even better deals based on their destination:

• Travel to Portugal is 24% cheaper, averaging €184;
• Germany and Greece have seen a 19% price drop;
• Belgium’s trips are 18% cheaper at €83;
• Italy’s average ticket costs €82, down 16%.

However, prices have risen by 21% for some destinations, like the UK, due to the return of students to university.

In terms of new travel trends, Romanians explored emerging destinations this summer with direct flights, leading to a surge in bookings for cities like New York (+348%), Izmir (+178%), and Marrakech (+157%). Dusseldorf also saw a 106% increase, possibly linked to Romania’s participation in the football championship in Cologne.

New York continues to be a popular off-season destination, with a 20% drop in ticket prices compared to last year and a 230% increase in bookings, only topped by Tirana (+250%). Both cities now have direct flights from Romania. Dusseldorf (+133%) and Budapest (+71%) are also trending for the off-season.

Interestingly, Romania itself is becoming an attractive off-season destination.