Travel agencies expect 15% more trips during Christmas, with interest peaking for Northern Lights

The Catalan travel agencies association, ACAVE, is forecasting a 15% increase in the number of trips during the Christmas festivities this year compared to 2024.

Jordi Martí, president of the ACAVE association, said on Wednesday that demand has increased while prices have remained at levels similar to those of previous end-of-year celebrations.

Most of the travel agencies in the association, around 55% of them, believe that there will be between 5% and 15% more sales this year compared to 2024, while 35% of the companies expect similar figures.

Martí believes that the increase in sales will translate into higher revenue. 

Among the most desired destinations are European capitals to enjoy traditional Christmas markets. In recent years, there has been growing interest in seeing the Northern Lights, which has sparked renewed curiosity this year.

"These kinds of trips are very successful," Martí said, referring to cultural journeys to discover Lapland and Iceland, as well as wine tasting in northern European cities.

Meanwhile, the desire to travel to the United States has not recovered in recent years. The association claims there is a "disinterest" among visitors since Donald Trump's return as president. Travelers now prefer to fly to Asian countries.

"During Christmas, New York was a classic and generated a lot of interest, and we see that people keep traveling, but there is much less interest," he added.

Other common destinations are London, Rome, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Turkey, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, and Egypt.