With European cities again buckling under the weight of peak summer tourism and protests erupting in Spain and Italy just last week, Eurail is urging Australian travellers to help ease the pressure by choosing shoulder season travel instead.
In a move designed to reduce the strain of over tourism, Eurail has launched a 20% discount on all Eurail Global and One Country Passes for travel from September 1 onwards.
The discount is available for a limited time, until July 3, through distributors including International Rail, Klook, Rail Europe and Rail Online.
According to the ABS, nearly two million Australians travelled to Europe last year, with more than a third of trips occurring in the crowded summer months.
Eurail says more than 57,000 of those travellers used one of its flexible rail passes to get around the continent. Now, it wants to encourage more sustainable choices.
“Travelling outside of the peak European summer months can be just as rewarding,” said Emmeliek Preijde, Head of Customer Experience at Eurail.
“Autumn is warm and colourful, spring is filled with flowers and winter has its own kind of magic – from ski fields to Christmas markets.”
The call for change comes amid growing backlash in Europe’s most popular destinations. In recent days, anti-tourism demonstrators took to the streets of Barcelona and Venice, calling for curbs on the number of visitors during peak months.
Local authorities in many cities have begun restricting cruise arrivals, introducing tourist taxes and urging travellers to come during quieter periods.
Eurail’s shoulder season campaign highlights destinations that shine outside the traditional July-August window – from sunny October days in Seville and the Algarve, to springtime tulips in Amsterdam, February Carnival in Venice and festive markets that open as early as mid-November in Central Europe.
Travellers can also take advantage of lower airfares and accommodation rates, while travel agents can now use Eurail’s enhanced Tripplanner tool which includes enhanced mapping functionality, features train route and time options, provides advice on the best Pass to select and itineraries can also be shared directly with clients.
The initiative is part of Eurail’s broader commitment to conscious travel, which includes promoting slow journeys and rail as a greener alternative to short-haul flights. Its passes span 33 countries and more than 30,000 destinations across Europe.
