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Euro rail passes dip as travellers go high-speed
Rail travellers in Europe are opting more and more for point-to-point travel rather than rail passes.
Eurail Pass sales suffered a 20% drop last year due predominantly to a surge in point-to-point ticket sales on high-speed services.
Overall, Rail Europe reported a 6.5% increase in year-on-year sales with three million rail travellers across the continent during 2013.
Australasia remains the strongest region for sales, with €49 million in revenue, representing a 50% increase from 2010.
Fabrice Morel, CEO of Rail Europe, said: "We believe the quality of services provided coupled with the cost and time efficiency factors have greatly contributed to the ongoing success of our operation."
Overall, top performers on high-speed routes and passes in 2013 include Thalys (48% growth in revenue from 2012), the Italian high-speed Italo and Trenitalia services (up 23%), Eurostar (up 21%), the French TGV (up 15%) and the Swiss Passes (up 20%).
Morel said travellers were realising they could save up to 70% when booking in advance, resulting in cheaper point-to-point tickets being a preference among those who had a clear plan of their destination routes.
New target markets for 2014 include corporate and gourmet travellers.
Ian Jarrett
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