Among the… winners of this year’s tourism season, due to the tensions in the Middle East, includes Greece, with Athens standing out among the major cities of Southern Europe, attracting the largest share of global international travel demand.
More specifically, Southern Europe is emerging as the star of this year’s summer season, accounting for an 11.71% share of global international travel intent, an increase of 2.47 percentage points compared to last summer.
Demand appears to be strong for many Mediterranean leisure destinations, led by Greece, Spain, and Italy. Strong air connectivity and the enduring appeal of destinations based on the “sun-and-sea” model play a significant role in meeting demand from these countries, a trend consistent with the pattern observed in post-war Iran.
Athens leads among Southern European destinations, accounting for 0.77% of global travel demand and recording a 0.23 percentage point increase, a trend that reflects its dual role as both an urban destination and a gateway to the Greek islands. It should be noted that this is the largest increase observed in the Southern Europe region.
Barcelona recorded a 1.01% share (+0.22 p.p.), Madrid 0.91% (+0.14 p.p.), Rome 0.85% (+0.09 p.p.), and Milan 0.76% (+0.10 p.p.), reinforcing the overall picture for Mediterranean destinations.
This picture emerges from an analysis by The Data Appeal Company / Almaviva Group, based on data from Data Appeal Mabrian and the index that measures travel interest (Share of Searches Index) for the months of June, July, and August 2026, compared to the same period in 2025.
Overall, the data shows that, as air connectivity is affected by route changes, increased costs, and geopolitical uncertainty, international travel demand is shifting toward destinations that are closer and more easily accessible.
This trend explains the positive performance of Southern Europe, as well as the resilience of certain regions in Asia, despite the overall decline in demand for East and West Asia.
How Much Is the War Hurting Asia
East Asia remains the region with the largest share of global travel interest for this summer, at 14.41%, with Southeast Asia following (13.58%). This means that more than one in four international travelers will choose destinations in these two regions during the summer of 2026.
However, East Asia is down by 1.67 percentage points, while West Asia is down by 2.69 percentage points, with geopolitical uncertainty strongly affecting travel flows.
Nevertheless, the region retains 10.71% of global travel demand, supported by intra-regional and intercontinental flows, as well as markets such as Turkey, Cyprus, and Georgia.
Despite the slowdown in East and West Asia, travel intent for Southeast Asia remains positive, recording a slight increase of +0.55 percentage points compared to the summer of 2025. Bali leads the region in demand with a share of 1.38% (+0.32 percentage points), followed by Manila at 1.12% (+0.16 percentage points) and Jakarta at 0.77% (+0.11 percentage points).
Trends
North America is strengthening its position in the international travel market, accounting for 8.36% of travel demand, an increase of 1.01 percentage points year-over-year. This performance is attributed both to increased travel to cities hosting the World Cup and to strong air traffic flows to key U.S. entry points, such as New York, Los Angeles, Miami, and Orlando.
At the same time, Canada is also showing positive growth, with Vancouver (0.60%, +0.11 percentage points) and Calgary (0.35%, +0.09) standing out among Canadian destinations.
At the same time, the redistribution of international travel flows is strengthening the position of Africa and Latin America. Africa accounts for 4.28% of travel interest, recording a slight increase compared to the summer of 2025.
Meanwhile, Latin America and the Caribbean account for 3.38%, up 0.72 percentage points, recording one of the strongest performances globally. Peru, Brazil, and Mexico are among the markets driving demand the most, while Puerto Rico, Aruba, and Guatemala are expanding their momentum.
Among the trends recorded by Mabrian is the shift of travelers toward cooler destinations, which continues into the summer of 2026. Northern Europe accounts for 5.96% of demand, increasing its share by 0.60 percentage points year-over-year.
London, Edinburgh, Dublin, Copenhagen, and Iceland are seeing an increase in traveler intent, confirming the strengthening trend of so-called “coolcations.”