Not Great Britain at all. Poles will go here for Christmas and the New Year
The end of the year is an opportunity for many Poles to visit loved ones and travel. We got to know our compatriots’ favorite foreign destinations. There are a few surprises.
The Christmas and New Year period is a time of increased travel to meet loved ones. Many Poles then disperse around the country. For others, the time around Christmas and January 1 is an opportunity to travel abroad and relax in warmer countries. Which directions are the most popular?
Top holiday destinations. The south of Europe reigns supreme
Ryanair checked the data from the reservation system in the period December 22, 2024 – January 7, 2025. It turns out that the top holiday destinations were those in southern Europe. 38 percent passengers chose Italy (mainly Rome, Milan and Bologna), and 28 percent Spain (including Alicante, Malaga and Barcelona). Third place was taken by France (9% of bookings at that time).
The ranking of travelers’ winter choices also includes island destinations, such as Malta (8%) and Cyprus (4%), popular among Poles. They were followed by Portugal and Greece. The only country with a large number of our compatriots abroad in this ranking is France.
Travel in December and January. Longer leisure trips
How to explain such great popularity of holiday destinations during the holidays? Intuition tells us that many people will go abroad to visit their loved ones, e.g. in Great Britain or Germany, and these destinations can also be found in the offer of cheap carriers. In this case, however, the direction of travel may be the opposite and Poles abroad can visit their family. Others may also plan joint, multi-generational Christmas trips with their loved ones.
“Currently, we are much more willing to travel with larger family groups than years ago, and multi-gen (multi-generational) trips are becoming more and more popular,” said Marzena Geman from Wakacje.pl recently.
A large number of people may also simply not celebrate holidays or plan trips right after they end (the data concerns trips until January 7).
“Poles do not limit themselves to traveling in winter. On the contrary: we see great interest in holiday destinations throughout the Christmas and New Year period. This year’s arrangement of Christmas, New Year and Epiphany allows you to plan a longer holiday, perfect for recharging your batteries,” noted Alicja Wójcik-Gołębiowska, Country Manager CEE & Baltics at Ryanair.
