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TOURISM

Italy named world’s ‘most desirable’ holiday destination

When you think of dream holiday destinations, you might picture exotic trips to far-flung islands in the Maldives or the Caribbean.

Italy named world's 'most desirable' holiday destination
A vineyard near Pesaro, Italy. Photo: Clare Speak/The Local

But the “most desired” holiday destination in the world is in fact Italy, a survey has found.

Italy was the most-searched holiday destination among people in 97 countries, including the US, Canada, Ireland, Russia, China, and most European countries, according to a study by travel website TravelSupermarket.

British holidaymakers however preferred Spain, it found, and Australians dream of the Maldives.

Italy beat Spain to the top spot, followed by Australia, Greece and France.

Meanwhile, the most popular holiday destination among Italians was neighbouring Spain

READ ALSO: 'Like the Maldives': Italy's first coral reef discovered off the coast of Puglia

The survey used Google’s Keyword Planner, searching all languages, to establish the average monthly search volume in each country for the term 'Holidays in X' for over 870 destinations.

The most searched-for place in each country was then chosen as the top destination.

Italy gets 226,860 monthly hits, said Joey Tyson, Travel Editor at TravelSupermarket.

“As an iconic destination for art, architecture, gastronomy and history, it’s no surprise to see travellers from as far afield as Argentina, New Zealand and Canada looking to holiday in Italy.”

“Popular cities include Rome, Venice and Florence, while Sicily, the Amalfi Coast and Cinque Terre are ideal for a seaside escape,” he told The Local. “Interestingly, European countries dominate the most Googled holiday destinations globally with four out of the top five being located on the continent.”

You can see an interactive map showing the results by country here.

It's easy to see the appeal of the italian Riviera. Photo: Depositphotos

While there's no doubt that many of us look at dream holidays online as a form of escapism, these online searches, recorded in late 2018, seem to correspond with the actual number of people visiting Italy.

Tourism in Italy is booming, as the latest figures show more than 420 million annual visitors and a 4.4 increase year on year – well above the European average.

READ ALSO: Record numbers of tourists are arriving in Italy, study shows

Visitor numbers are only expected to grow, with 2019 set to be busier than ever for many of Italy's tourist hotspots, partly thank to a growing Chinese tourism market.

It's not good news for everyone, of course.

An anti-tourist movement is growing in some of the country's most popular beauty spots, including Venice and the towns of Cinque Terre, where local residents have protested against overcrowding in their cities and an impact on liveability.

Overtourism in iconic Italian destinations has led to the introduction of measures like Venice charging an entry fee from this year.

Italy tops charts like these for a very good reason, and of course, we think everyone should visit.

But it's a big country, and there are plenty of incredible places to explore outside of the overcrowded hotspots.

Tourists on gondolas on one of Venice's canals. Photo: Deposit Photos

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TRAVEL NEWS

German train strike wave to end following new labour agreement

Germany's Deutsche Bahn rail operator and the GDL train drivers' union have reached a deal in a wage dispute that has caused months of crippling strikes in the country, the union said.

German train strike wave to end following new labour agreement

“The German Train Drivers’ Union (GDL) and Deutsche Bahn have reached a wage agreement,” GDL said in a statement.

Further details will be announced in a press conference on Tuesday, the union said. A spokesman for Deutsche Bahn also confirmed that an agreement had been reached.

Train drivers have walked out six times since November, causing disruption for huge numbers of passengers.

The strikes have often lasted for several days and have also caused disruption to freight traffic, with the most recent walkout in mid-March.

In late January, rail traffic was paralysed for five days on the national network in one of the longest strikes in Deutsche Bahn’s history.

READ ALSO: Why are German train drivers launching more strike action?

Europe’s largest economy has faced industrial action for months as workers and management across multiple sectors wrestle over terms amid high inflation and weak business activity.

The strikes have exacerbated an already gloomy economic picture, with the German economy shrinking 0.3 percent across the whole of last year.

What we know about the new offer so far

Through the new agreement, there will be optional reduction of a work week to 36 hours at the start of 2027, 35.5 hours from 2028 and then 35 hours from 2029. For the last three stages, employees must notify their employer themselves if they wish to take advantage of the reduction steps.

However, they can also opt to work the same or more hours – up to 40 hours per week are possible in under the new “optional model”.

“One thing is clear: if you work more, you get more money,” said Deutsche Bahn spokesperson Martin Seiler. Accordingly, employees will receive 2.7 percent more pay for each additional or unchanged working hour.

According to Deutsche Bahn, other parts of the agreement included a pay increase of 420 per month in two stages, a tax and duty-free inflation adjustment bonus of 2,850 and a term of 26 months.

Growing pressure

Last year’s walkouts cost Deutsche Bahn some 200 million, according to estimates by the operator, which overall recorded a net loss for 2023 of 2.35 billion.

Germany has historically been among the countries in Europe where workers went on strike the least.

But since the end of 2022, the country has seen growing labour unrest, while real wages have fallen by four percent since the start of the war in Ukraine.

German airline Lufthansa is also locked in wage disputes with ground staff and cabin crew.

Several strikes have severely disrupted the group’s business in recent weeks and will weigh on first-quarter results, according to the group’s management.

Airport security staff have also staged several walkouts since January.

Some politicians have called for Germany to put in place rules to restrict critical infrastructure like rail transport from industrial action.

But Chancellor Olaf Scholz has rejected the calls, arguing that “the right to strike is written in the constitution… and that is a democratic right for which unions and workers have fought”.

The strikes have piled growing pressure on the coalition government between Scholz’s Social Democrats, the Greens and the pro-business FDP, which has scored dismally in recent opinion polls.

The far-right AfD has been enjoying a boost in popularity amid the unrest with elections in three key former East German states due to take place later this year.

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