CHICAGO, March 17, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Orbitz.com is seeing an uptick in demand for travel to Europe this spring and summer as the euro hits a 10-year record low and the British pound drops to its lowest level in five years. With airfare and hotel prices down 6 percent and 3 percent respectively, if travelers are still debating a summer vacation, all dollar signs point to Europe, made even more attractive by a U.S. to Europe sale launched today.
Orbitz Senior Editor Jeanenne Tornatore says, "This summer, travelers can look forward to getting away to Europe for a great price. From London to Paris, Dublin, Rome or Barcelona, even the most in-demand destinations are offering discounts and the dollar is stretching so much further."
Orbitz is sweetening the savings to Europe with a new deal offering travelers a 50 percent discount on select European hotels1 and an instant $150 off four-night flight and hotel vacation packages booked before June 30, 2015 for travel through September 30, 2015 using promo 150VACA.2 For more details and to book a European getaway visit www.orbitz.com/travel-deals/Global_hotel_deals/.
Orbitz.com Top European Destinations for Spring Travel3
| Top Destinations |
2014 Average Hotel Rate |
2015 Average Hotel Rate |
YOY Change |
2014 Avg. Airfare |
2015 Avg. Airfare |
YOY Change |
| London, United Kingdom | $243 | $225 | -7% | $1,160 | $1,199 | 3% |
| Paris, France | $237 | $203 | -14% | $1,203 | $1,246 | 4% |
| Dublin, Ireland | $134 | $128 | -4% | $874 | $944 | 8% |
| Rome, Italy | $173 | $166 | -4% | $1,237 | $1,240 | 0% |
| Barcelona, Spain | $156 | $153 | -2% | $1,103 | $1,135 | 3% |
Orbitz.com Top European Destinations for Summer Travel4
| Top Destinations |
2014 Average Hotel Rate |
2015 Average Hotel Rate |
YOY Change |
2014 Avg. Airfare |
2015 Avg. Airfare |
YOY Change |
| London, United Kingdom | $276 | $264 | -4% | $1,473 | $1,382 | -6% |
| Paris, France | $256 | $231 | -10% | $1,541 | $1,333 | -13% |
| Dublin, Ireland | $143 | $144 | 1% | $1,213 | $1,196 | -1% |
| Rome, Italy | $193 | $192 | -1% | $1,580 | $1,486 | -6% |
| Barcelona, Spain | $177 | $176 | -1% | $1,480 | $1,421 | -4% |
Best Ways to Stretch the Dollar
- Thanks to the British pound's decline against the U.S. dollar, England is cheaper than it was six months ago. Summer is one of the best times to visit the U.K., with warmer temperatures and grandstand events like Wimbledon in late June and early July and the opening of Buckingham Palace to tourists when the Royal Family is away for their summer holiday.
- Meanwhile, Eastern Europe touts even bigger savings than its Western counterpart. Hungary and Poland deliver savings of 25 and 16 percent respectively. Spring is the most favorable time to visit Budapest, with flowers in bloom and the city opening up to celebrate the end of winter with the Annual Budapest Spring Festival. Poland is equally inviting in spring before the summer crowds arrive, with Fashion Week taking place in Lodz in April and the Mountain Balloon Festival outside the Krakow city limits among the highlights.
- Tapping into travel rewards can help take an overseas trip from a dream to a reality. From flight upgrades to hotel accommodations, a trip to Europe is the time to dust off those loyalty points to make a good trip even better. Plus, if ever there was a time to cash in on flight upgrades – a long flight to Europe is the time to do it.
150% off offer valid at participating hotels only and are subject to availability. Offers vary by property. Minimum night stay may be required, and varies by property. Rules, restrictions, and blackout dates may apply. See property pages for further details.
2150VACA: Book a qualifying 4-night flight + hotel vacation package before June 30, 2015 11:59PM CDT, for $1000 or more for travel through September 30, 2015 via Orbitz and instantly receive $150 off the hotel portion of your booking through the use of the promotion code. Limit one discount per hotel room and one promotion code per booking. Discounts are not redeemable for cash for any reason. Promotion codes cannot be resold. Any attempt at fraud will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Void where prohibited, taxed or restricted. Orbitz reserves the right to change or limit the promotion in its sole discretion. Promo code not valid for Las Vegas, NV bookings.
3The top European travel destinations for spring are based on Orbitz.com hotel bookings for travel from March 1 – April 15, 2015 vs. the coinciding time period last year.
4The top European travel destinations for summer are based on Orbitz.com hotel bookings for travel from June 1 – August 31, 2015 vs. the coinciding time period last year.
About Orbitz.com
Orbitz.com is a leading travel website that enables consumers to search for and book a broad range of hotels, flights, car rentals, cruises, vacation packages and destination activities. Since launching in June 2001, Orbitz.com has become one of the world's largest online travel sites. Orbitz.com now offers the groundbreaking Orbitz Rewards loyalty program—the only program where customers can earn rewards immediately on flights, hotels and packages, and redeem instantly on tens of thousands of hotels worldwide. Use the Orbitz Rewards Visa® Card to earn even more rewards. Orbitz.com is the #1 way to book travel on mobile devices, be it using our apps (get them at www.orbitz.com/mobile) or our smartphone-optimized website (m.orbitz.com), both of which are tailored for smartphones and tablets. The Orbitz app won the 2014 Appy Award for best travel app. Orbitz also ranks #1 in Online Travel Website Customer Satisfaction in the 2014 American Customer Satisfaction Index. Follow Orbitz on Facebook, Twitter and through the Orbitz Travel Blog. Orbitz.com is operated by Orbitz Worldwide (NYSE:OWW).
About Orbitz Worldwide
Orbitz Worldwide (NYSE:OWW) is a leading global online travel company using technology to transform the way consumers around the world plan and purchase travel. Orbitz Worldwide operates the consumer travel planning sites Orbitz (www.orbitz.com), ebookers (www.ebookers.com), HotelClub (www.hotelclub.com) and CheapTickets (www.cheaptickets.com). Also within the Orbitz Worldwide family, Orbitz Partner Network (www.orbitz.com/OPN) delivers private label travel technology solutions to a broad range of partners including some of the world`s largest airlines and travel agencies, and Orbitz for Business (www.orbitzforbusiness.com) delivers managed travel solutions for companies of all sizes. Orbitz Worldwide makes investor relations information available at investors.orbitz.com.