European rail travel by North Americans shows strong recovery and shift in railpass purchasing

raileurope.com

The strong recovery of European travel products, particularly rail, purchased by North Americans is one the important trends evident in first quarter 2004 sales figures announced today by Rail Europe, North America's largest distributor of European rail travel products and official representative of more than 30 railroads. The company also reports even higher sales for the months of April and May.

Sales of railpasses, point-to-point rail tickets and related products for the first quarter of 2004 are 45% higher than the same period in 2003 and 10% higher than first quarter 2002. The number of rail products used for travel in France has increased more than 50% over last year's volume.

Trends in railpass buying

"While sales of all our rail products have been increasing steadily," notes Fabrice Morel, President and CEO of the Rail Europe Group, "what is particularly interesting is the high growth of one- and two-country railpasses, as well as point-to-point tickets, which are ideally suited to today's shorter, more geographically-focused European itineraries. We've seen this shift - from a once-in-a-lifetime grand tour of the Continent to shorter, frequent trips focused on fewer destinations. "

Rail Europe's first quarter sales of one- and two-country railpasses (such as France Railpass, Swiss Pass, France 'n Italy Pass) are up 82% over the same period last year, compared with a 14% increase in railpasses covering 3 or more countries. Results also demonstrate the increasing popularity of high-speed "Premier Trains" such as Eurostar and Thalys.

Rail prices set before fall of dollar

Possible explanations for the high growth of rail travel, according to Morel, is that prices of railpasses and most tickets sold in North America this year were determined in 2003 - before the plunge of the dollar vs. the Euro. "And unlike airfares, hotels and rental cars - the prices set last year remain in effect throughout 2004, so they help North American travelers stretch their travel dollar. If they buy tickets locally in Europe, they have to worry about fluctuating exchange rates and a weaker dollar".

Although low-cost European air carriers have been receiving much publicity, Morel is quick to point out that a competitive fare on Eurostar, for example, has been offered since July 2003 - $90 US/$124 CAD roundtrip fare in standard class between either London-Paris or London-Brussels. "Not only can you purchase this fare well in advance of your trip, instead of waiting until the last-minute to see if a low airfare is available, but you travel from city-center to city-center with no need to spend the money or time getting to and from the airport," he notes.

Rail Europe offers the most comprehensive selection of European rail travel products of any supplier, and the company's website is the only one offering complete information on train travel throughout Europe and the UK, such as fares and schedules and interactive rail maps.

For more information on European rail travel or to book railpasses or tickets, contact a travel agent or Rail Europe at www.raileurope.com or call 1-888-382-7245 in the U.S. or 1-800-361-7245 in Canada.