The Greek Island of Corfu is included in Mastercard Economics Institute’s list of the top 10 most popular summer destinations for holidays for the 2024 summer season (June to August).

Munich (in terms of share gain in flight bookings) due to its hosting of the UEFA EURO 2024 football championship in June, has taken the top spot as the trending summer destination, while surprisingly, the capital of Albania, Tirana ranked 3rd, according to the Mastercard report.

Tokyo comes in a close second while Bali (#6) and Bangkok (#7) are also among the top 10 cities where demand is gaining momentum in the next three months.

The top 10 most popular destinations:

  1. Munich, Germany
  2. Tokyo, Japan
  3. Tirana, Albania
  4. Nice, France
  5. Cancun, Mexico
  6. Bali, Indonesia
  7. Bangkok, Thailand
  8. Corfu, Greece
  9. Frankfurt, Germany
  10. Oranjestad, Aruba

The ranking is based on flight booking data for the summer period from June to August 2024. The destinations were evaluated by their share of total travel bookings from various origin markets. These ten locations have seen the largest increase in their share of flight bookings.

The global travel sector is breaking boundaries in 2024 as consumer spending on tourism remains robust and passenger traffic soars, according to the latest report from the Mastercard Economics Institute (MEI). Released today, the MEI’s fifth annual report, “Travel Trends 2024: Breaking Boundaries” provides comprehensive insights into the evolving landscape of the travel industry across 74 markets, including 13 in the Asia Pacific region (APAC).

Despite fluctuating exchange rates and varying levels of affordability, travel is booming, with nine out of the last 10 record-setting spending days in the global cruise and airline industries occurring this year. Looking ahead, the MEI anticipates this momentum will continue as consumers around the world prioritize meaningful experiences and allocate more of their budgets to travel.