GTC’s Angie Licea Highlights Shifting Demand for Europe

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As travel advisors navigate another packed year for transatlantic trips, Global Travel Collection president Angie Licea is spotlighting how U.S. demand for Europe is changing, with travelers recalibrating where, when and how they visit the continent.

Europe Remains Aspirational Amid Cost Concerns

Recent industry research shows Europe retaining its status as a marquee destination, even as high airfares, hotel rates and local prices prompt more cautious planning. Studies from European tourism bodies indicate that long haul arrivals to the region have surpassed pre pandemic levels, supported by resilient demand from North America and a gradual normalization of travel patterns.

At the same time, surveys tracking American intent to visit Europe point to a more price sensitive market. Publicly available data from tourism organizations and consulting firms describe a dip in the share of U.S. travelers prioritizing Europe for 2025 compared with 2024, with many citing cost pressures and currency dynamics as a key factor. This backdrop is shaping how luxury focused networks such as Global Travel Collection position and package European travel.

Within this environment, Licea’s commentary emphasizes that Europe has not lost its appeal so much as it has become a more carefully curated choice. Reports indicate that high net worth travelers are still prepared to spend on marquee trips, but are demanding more value and personalization in return. For travel advisors, that is translating into more complex itineraries and greater attention to timing, routing and destination mix across the continent.

Classic Hubs Lead, While Secondary Cities Gain Ground

According to trade coverage of Global Travel Collection’s business, Europe continues to account for a significant portion of the network’s luxury leisure revenue, with Italy, France and the United Kingdom remaining anchor markets. Industry reports on the 2025 Europe season describe solid booking momentum for these traditional favorites, boosted by major events such as religious jubilees, cultural festivals and a strong calendar of concerts and sporting fixtures.

However, advisors and market analysts are also pointing to a rotation toward less saturated European cities and regions. Coverage of booking patterns for upcoming seasons highlights increased interest in destinations such as the Greek islands beyond the most visited hotspots, coastal Croatia, and wine and countryside regions in Spain and Portugal. For Global Travel Collection’s client base, these areas offer a combination of high end product and relative relief from peak season crowds.

Travel trade publications note that Licea has framed this shift as part of a broader evolution in luxury expectations. Rather than simply returning to the same capitals on repeat, affluent travelers are seeking itineraries that layer iconic stops with emerging locales, often built around rail journeys, small ship cruises or villa stays. This pattern is particularly visible among multi generational families looking to balance headline attractions with slower paced, experiential components.

Seasonality Shifts and the Rise of Shoulder Travel

Another trend underscored in recent analyses of Global Travel Collection’s data is the move away from traditional peak summer in favor of spring and fall visits to Europe. Industry research on the European travel market shows that shoulder seasons delivered notable growth in 2024 and 2025, as travelers attempted to avoid heatwaves, congestion and premium pricing associated with July and August.

Commentary on Licea’s market outlook aligns with this shift, with reports indicating that high value clients are increasingly open to April, May, September and October departures. These months often offer better availability in luxury hotels and resorts, more favorable rates in major cities and more comfortable conditions for outdoor touring. For travel advisors, this has opened opportunities to reposition Europe as a year round proposition rather than a narrowly defined summer getaway.

Published insights from European tourism reports further suggest that business and bleisure travel segments are reinforcing this pattern. Conferences, incentive trips and extended work related stays are blending into leisure travel, with travelers tacking on days in nearby regions once meetings conclude. Networks such as Global Travel Collection are responding by building modular itineraries that can flex around evolving corporate and personal schedules.

Balancing Europe With Alternative Luxury Destinations

While Europe remains central, Licea’s public commentary places European travel within a wider portfolio of options for Global Travel Collection clients. Recent coverage of booking trends at the network notes that some travelers who might previously have defaulted to Europe in back to back years are now alternating with high end stays in the Caribbean, South Pacific, South America or closer to home in North America, particularly when global headlines or price spikes create uncertainty.

Reports on North American luxury travel underline this pivot effect. When costs or capacity constraints make peak season Europe less attractive, sophisticated travelers are not necessarily cancelling trips; instead they are reallocating budgets to other long haul or domestic destinations and postponing Europe to a future shoulder season. This behavior helps explain why overall luxury outbound spend remains robust even as some surveys register softer short term intent for European vacations among Americans.

For travel advisors, the message from Licea’s perspective is that Europe now competes in a more dynamic decision set. To keep the continent at the top of the list, advisors are leaning into value messaging, emphasizing the comparative benefits of off peak travel, and designing itineraries that justify higher price points with access, authenticity and seamless logistics. In effect, the bar for what constitutes a “bucket list” European journey is rising.

What Trending Destinations Signal for the Year Ahead

Looking across these developments, analysts say Global Travel Collection’s Europe trends mirror broader shifts in the premium market. Aspirational demand for the continent is still strong, but it is being channeled into more intentional trips, diversified geography and more flexible timing. From a network perspective, that favors sizable, data rich organizations that can detect micro shifts early and adjust advisor training, partner strategies and product curation accordingly.

Published interviews and profiles of Licea emphasize her focus on unifying Global Travel Collection’s brands and leveraging scale in air, hotel and on the ground partnerships. As Europe continues to evolve as both a leisure and business destination, that scale is expected to play a role in securing competitive value for clients, especially in high demand cities and marquee resorts where availability remains tight.

For travelers watching the headlines and weighing their options, the emerging picture is less about a retreat from Europe and more about a recalibration. The destinations and seasons that Licea and Global Travel Collection’s advisors are tracking closely offer a snapshot of how American travelers are redefining what a “big” European trip looks like in an era of higher costs, shifting preferences and unprecedented choice.