Auto Rental News
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

Europe, North America Top Destinations Traveled in Q4

Sojern’s Global Travel Insights Report for Q4 2016 showed that the top destinations both searched and booked included the U.S., Spain, the U.K., Mexico, Italy, Germany, France, and Portugal. For the upcoming spring, Sojern sees high travel in April for the Easter holiday.

by Staff
February 1, 2017
Europe, North America Top Destinations Traveled in Q4

Logo courtesy of Sojern

3 min to read


Logo courtesy of Sojern

Sojern, a performance marketing platform for travel brands, has released its Q4 2016 Global Travel Insights Report as well as its 2017 Travel Forecast for Q1.

Sojern’s quarterly reports are based on travel intent data from 350 million traveler profiles across 100,000 unique audience segments and billions of travel intent signals.

Ad Loading...

Looking back at the last quarter of 2016, with the exception of Middle East and Africa, Sojern noted an increase in the share of family travel ( three-plus travelers), not surprising given the winter holidays.

Globally, the top eight countries that attracted the most interest during the fourth quarter overlapped with the top eight of the most booked: United States, Spain, United Kingdom, Mexico, Italy, Germany, France, and Portugal. Thailand and Russia grabbed the last two spots in the top 10 countries searched, while Switzerland and Singapore gained the last two spots in the top 10 countries most booked.

The report also shows a number of shifts in the top outbound destinations: Palma De Mallorca fell out of the top five destinations for Europeans, replaced by Amsterdam. For Asian travelers, London, which was in the top five destinations searched last quarter, was replaced by Taipei in Q4.

Another shift in Q4 took place in the share of search and bookings: Generally, the share of booking and searching is spread evenly across each month, with only a percentage difference. This was not the case for Q4. Instead, the report showed that October dominated in bookings, November saw the most searches, and both search and bookings leveled out in December.

For the upcoming spring travel season, beach destinations dominate for North Americans, according to Sojern’s report. The top searched beach destinations include Miami, Cancun, Honolulu, Fort Myers, and San Juan.

Ad Loading...

Latin American travelers are also interested in the beaches of Miami and Cancun, but given their easier access to other destinations, they’re also looking for different beach getaways: Barcelona, Rio de Janeiro, and Havana rounded up the top five.

For Europe, Spain dominates beach searches: Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Malaga, and Alicante all make the top five searched beach destinations. The only non-Spanish beach destination on the list is Miami, says Sojern.

By looking at early searches for spring travel, Sojern was able to see the decision-making process for many travelers in countries with public holidays around Good Friday.

Latin American travelers are looking at extended Easter celebrations: Semana Santa — or Holy Week — is a big travel time for many on the continent. The top departure dates searched are in the week before Easter and the week of Easter, with April 1 as the top searched departure day, according to Sojern.

In Europe, the top searched departure dates for April are the 1st, 8th, and 14th. Travelers in countries like Spain, Germany, and the United Kingdom have Good Friday off and are looking to take advantage of the three- or even four-day weekend, says Sojern.

Ad Loading...

Sojern has seen similar travel planning occur on the other side of the globe in Asia-Pacific. Countries like Singapore, the Philippines, and Hong Kong also observe Good Friday as a public holiday. With the Friday off, Sojern sees the 13th, the Thursday before Easter, as one of the most popular dates searched for departures in the region, along with April 1st and 29th, according to the report. Overall, Asia-Pacific travelers are looking to leave earlier than their European counterparts.

More Rental Operations

Two execs hold up a sign with Southwest and CarTrawler logos

Southwest Airlines Selects CarTrawler For Its Car Rental Booking Platform

The platform is designed to allow customers to compare and book rental vehicles more easily during the travel booking process.

Read More →
Speaker John Healy on stage with a podium, screen, and red curtains in the background.
Rental Operationsby Martin RomjueMay 27, 2026

Cross-Pressures, Evolving Trends Drive 2026 Rental Car Industry

A combination of cautious economic behavior, shifts in the rental vehicle market, and technological influences are shaping car rental operator decisions.

Read More →
Award winner on stage with presenters in front of yellow curtain.
Rental Operationsby Martin RomjueMay 27, 2026

Government Affairs Executive Wins Leading Rental Car Industry Award

Robert Muhs started in the car rental industry with Avis Budget Group two years before the first International Car Rental Show.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
The rental car team at the Green Motion franchise office near the Maputo International Airport in Mozambique.

Green Motion Expands Its African Presence with Mozambique Launch

This new rental car outlet reflects the growing demand for reliable transportation and the emphasis on sustainable travel across the continent.

Read More →
Photos of CEOs Colm Brady and Francois Kruger on a blue background and above a headline.
Telematicsby News/Media ReleaseMay 22, 2026

RentalMatics, GeoInt Partner On Rental Car Speed Tracking Tech

Rental operators can now detect and act on speeding while vehicles are still on rent, thereby reducing fines, admin workload, vehicle wear, and safety risks.

Read More →
NextPass 407 ETR

NextPass Expands Toll Payment Service to Highway In Toronto

Fleets and consumer can use a transponder-less option when traveling between Canada and the U.S.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
A black Jeep is displayed at the Zubie-Bosch-TSD exhibit during the International Car Rental Show.

Zubie, PurCo Integrate Rental Damage Detection With Telematics

The combination brings actionable vehicle insights into PurCo’s PurInspect platform, improving damage detection and operational efficiency for rental fleets.

Read More →
50 states map showing LOR rates for each state with different shades of light to dark green

U.S. Length Of Rental (LOR) Declines Slightly in Q1 2026

LOR related to insurance claims overall continues to trend downward, but ongoing market and economic conditions could affect future results while the industry deals with staffing and productivity challenges.

Read More →
Illustration of a driverless futuristic front seat/dashboard view of other cars on a freeway with city skyline on horizon.

Hertz, Uber Deepen Roles In Self-Driving And Driver-Led Fleet Services

The business arrangement connects demand with scalable fleet management services and supports a range of mobility uses.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
A tech collage of electronic devices against a computer chip blueprint map.
Rental OperationsMay 1, 2026

Why Car Rental Can No Longer Run On Workarounds

The shift from branch-based software to connected operations is turning rental technology into strategic infrastructure.

Read More →
Ad Loading...