Later Easter to spark ‘astonishing’ tourism boost for secondary cities

New data reveals occupancy rates up for holiday lets across Europe

Travellers will flock to European cities beyond the usual hotspots for a sun-soaked Easter as this year’s later holiday sparks a shift in travel trends, according to data from PriceLabs. 

The software company looked at top destinations around Europe for Easter travel, finding that occupancy rates for the long weekend are up across all destinations compared to the same time in advance of Easter last year. 

It shows that more guests are booking short-term rentals than they were last year, promising a welcome boost in many economies from tourism after a slow winter.

According to the data, some of Europe’s secondary cities are braced for a ‘particularly astonishing’ rise in tourist numbers as warmer weather during 2025’s later Easter makes typically cooler cities more appealing to holidaymakers.

Occupancy has risen the most in Dublin (up 10 percentage points from 31% to 41%), Colmar (up from 35% to 45%), and Milan (up from 28% to 35%), while even the city with the slowest growth, Rome, has seen a two-point increase from 49% to 51%, alongside Edinburgh (47% to 49%). 

PriceLabs notes that more Northerly cities like Dublin may be seeing the benefit of Easter pushing back to mid-April rather than the end of March as in 2024, as the weather should be more favourable. 

Occupancy is currently highest in Seville (57%) and Prague (53%), followed by Vienna and Rome (both 51%), but there are still plenty of vacancies in Brittany (27%) and Milan (35%), which could be popular choices for guests looking for a last-minute deal. 

In terms of prices, average rates are higher than last year in all but three cities (Paris -4%, Brussels -2%, and Bordeaux -1%). 

Paris is seeing a tough comedown after the high of last year’s Olympics, while guests looking for cultural city breaks seem to be favouring Vienna, where rates have increased the most (+14%), followed by Milan (+12%) and Nice (+11%) as guests perhaps look for better weather than rainy Brussels. 

 “Short-term rental prices are constantly fluctuating, especially as more and more managers and hosts embrace dynamic pricing,” said Richie Khandelwal, President and Co-Founder of PriceLabs said. 

‘Guests looking for a good deal should keep a close eye on their preferred properties, and those willing to wait can catch great last-minute deals.”

“However, pay attention to how far in advance the properties you like get booked up for other dates, as you might be too late. If you really want the perfect property, it’s better to book a little further in advance and not risk other guests swooping in.

“What is particularly astonishing is the enormous impact anticipated warmer weather is set to have on travel trends, with more tourists apparently choosing typically cooler destinations.

“For a better deal, consider booking secondary cities over traditional hotspots, and if you have the flexibility, travel outside of the most popular dates. Even if you’re restricted by school holidays, simply travelling on weekdays rather than weekends can bring prices down.”