When it comes to travel, there is nothing more personal than choosing your destination. However, as prices rise, some places may become more and more unaffordable. GQ shows you the 9 most profitable cities for a vacation, and here they are.
Travel: An increasingly tight vacation budget
More and more French are limiting their holiday choices. According to Prototourism, the rate of French people who go on holiday has fallen since 2022, from 67% in 2022 to 63% in 2024. The first cause of this decline would be mainly economic: a consulting firm specializing in tourism and leisure could record its annual a survey report states that the average vacation budget will decrease by 7% in 2024 and that a third of vacationers believe they need to cut back on their spending. Because of this, people are considering traveling less often, for shorter periods of time, or less far, and limiting their restaurant budgets.
While confirming that price has become one of the first arguments for going on holiday, travel agency Skyscanner, which offers a flight comparison tool, reveals that the most used option on its website in 2023 was the “everywhere” box, which allows you to search for the cheapest flights from your cities to all destinations.
Air tickets will definitely be more expensive than last year. Among the 2024 changes is a tax aimed at large airports, called a “long-haul infrastructure tax”, designed to encourage the biggest and most polluting entities to participate in climate efforts. French airports apparently don’t plan to amortize this new price themselves, so they’ll let the airlines pay part of it, effectively increasing their fares. According to the Directorate General for Civil Aviation (DGAC), tickets departing from the capital have increased by 5% since the beginning of 2024, across all destinations combined.
Travel: destinations at reduced prices
In response to this observation, Skyscanner has identified 9 destinations where holiday costs have fallen this year. In first place is the city of Faro in Portugal. Visitors to Portugal’s southernmost city will spend an average of 24% less than in previous years to wander the charming, typically Portuguese cobbled streets.
Algiers comes right after, with a 23% reduction in the total cost of stay compared to recent years. The capital of the Algerian state will continue to provide culture shock under its crushing sun.
It is followed by Nice in the south of France, where the cost of living has fallen by 19%. Nice at the gates of Italy offers the perfect combination of its pebble beaches and sunny heights for less money than usual.
Turkey is the favorite in this ranking, with Dalaman and Antalya showing price drops of 13 and 12% respectively. Turkey’s unique culture between West and East is present everywhere in the architecture and events of these two cities.