Euro rail passes dip as travellers go high-speed
Rail travellers in Europe are opting more and more for point-to-point travel rather than rail passes.
Eurail Pass sales suffered a 20% drop last year due predominantly to a surge in point-to-point ticket sales on high-speed services.
Overall, Rail Europe reported a 6.5% increase in year-on-year sales with three million rail travellers across the continent during 2013.
Australasia remains the strongest region for sales, with €49 million in revenue, representing a 50% increase from 2010.
Fabrice Morel, CEO of Rail Europe, said: "We believe the quality of services provided coupled with the cost and time efficiency factors have greatly contributed to the ongoing success of our operation."
Overall, top performers on high-speed routes and passes in 2013 include Thalys (48% growth in revenue from 2012), the Italian high-speed Italo and Trenitalia services (up 23%), Eurostar (up 21%), the French TGV (up 15%) and the Swiss Passes (up 20%).
Morel said travellers were realising they could save up to 70% when booking in advance, resulting in cheaper point-to-point tickets being a preference among those who had a clear plan of their destination routes.
New target markets for 2014 include corporate and gourmet travellers.
Ian Jarrett
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Global tourism exceeds 1.5 billion travelers announces UN-Tourism
Qatar Airways offers reduced timetable to over 60 destinations
WTTC global tourism reached record economic impact of 11 trillion in 2025
Hands In, UATP join forces for airline multi-card payments
Suspension of all regional trains in Catalonia following two new rail accidents in Spain