Dublin Is Tops In Europe Car Rentals As World Events Impact Travel

Photo: Auto Europe

The impact of terrorist events in Europe is being felt in the Top 10 cities where Americans and Canadians are renting cars, with Dublin supplanting Paris for the top spot through the first six months of this year.

According to car rental service Auto Europe, Dublin’s car hires rose 3% to boost the city from fourth into the number one spot for most rentals by U.S. citizens, while Rome maintained its position as second most popular city. Paris rentals by Americans declined 2%, dropping the city into third place. Florence dropped from third to fourth place.

Travel analysts said that as uncertainty increased in Europe, North Americans have shifted their travel bookings to “safer” destinations.

Rounding out the Top 10 most popular cities where Americans rent cars were London and Milan (unchanged in rankings), Frankfurt and Munich (swapping seventh and eighth spots with Munich moving up one) and Nice maintaining its ninth position. Car rentals in Lisbon by American travelers rose 11%, rocketing the city to tenth.

There were stark differences in the top ten ranked by Canadian traveler rentals. Rome, Paris and London were the most popular cities for car hires by Canadians. Dublin rose to fourth, ousting Lisbon to fifth most popular city.

The rest of the list included Florence, Venice, Barcelona, Amsterdam and Nice, where Canadian rentals shot up 13% during the 1st half of this year.

Overall, Italy had the most car rentals in Europe booked by U.S. residents, accounting for 23.5% of all bookings made in the 1st half of the year. The second and third most popular pickup countries were France and England, accounting for just over 17% and almost 10% of all bookings respectively. Ireland was a close fourth.

Auto Europe also is forecasting the second half of the year based on advanced bookings. According to the company, travelers to Paris are extending their rentals more than a full day and a half compared to the same booking period last year. Of the top five cities Auto Europe studied, travelers to London were the only ones to reduce their length of rental.

The company reports that 68% of U.S. and Canadian rentals are picked up at airports, and 19% at downtown locations.