The latest Eurostat data for December 2022 unveils an intriguing trend in European travel, with Romanians and Bulgarians emerging as frontrunners in tourist trips within the European Union during the year's final month. Impressively, these two nations accounted for a substantial 17% and 12.5% of all trips, respectively, made during December.

Across the European Union, residents collectively embarked on approximately 92 million trips in December, constituting just under 9% of the year's total travels. Experts attribute this surge in travel activity toward the year's end primarily to domestic travel, often centered around visits to family and friends during the festive Christmas and New Year holidays.

Joining Romania and Bulgaria in the top three are the inhabitants of Malta, who also showcased a significant concentration of trips in December, accounting for nearly 12% of all journeys made in 2022.

In contrast, residents of Greece recorded a lower proportion of trips in December, accounting for only 5.2% of their total journeys, while Swedish residents' trips during the same period represented merely 6% of their yearly travels.

Of the 92 million trips observed in December 2022, a substantial majority—approximately 73 million—were domestic trips, signifying 9% of the total domestic travel undertaken throughout the year. On the other hand, 19 million trips were taken abroad, comprising 7% of all journeys made outside their respective countries during the year.

This intriguing trend highlights the prominence of year-end travel patterns among Europeans, with Romanians, Bulgarians, and Maltese residents notably contributing to the substantial surge in trips observed during December 2022.