Breaks Record Set in 2000; Revenue up 17%
UTRECHT, Netherlands, March 13 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- The Eurail Group, owner of the popular Eurail Passes allowing unlimited rail travel in a wide range of country combinations in Europe, reported a worldwide increase in sales of 18.3% in 2006 over 2005. With a total of 445,000 passengers, Eurail also exceeded the 435,000 passengers who purchased Eurail Passes in 2000, the highest since the company was created in 1959. Revenues for the group increased by 21 million euros to 144.5 million, a 17% increase on 2005 figures.
Over the last few years, Eurail's popularity has been growing steadily. Like most travel suppliers, Eurail was badly affected when the number of overseas visitors to Europe dropped following September 11, 2001. As the travel industry began to recover from its global decline in 2003, Eurail's passenger totals rose commensurately with the rising number of travelers -- to not only reach but surpass pre-9/11 figures.
Eurail Passes are sold to non-Europeans only, and travelers come predominantly from North America, Eurail's largest market at 53%, Asia (25%) and the Pacific (11%), regions that have all seen very strong growth. The most popular Eurail Passes are the Eurail Select Pass (allowing travelers to travel in any three, four or five adjoining countries) and the Eurail Global Pass (enabling travelers to explore all 18 participating countries by rail), representing 70% of all Eurail's sales.
In its unceasing quest to improve products and stay ahead of evolving travel trends, Eurail has expanded its range of Passes with more choices to fewer countries and shorter travel periods. As a result, the range of Regional Passes (offering fixed two-country combinations) was expanded in January 2007 when Eurail added Austria-Hungary and Italy-Spain to the list, increasing the total number of two-country options to 18. Additional expansions to the Regional Pass range are expected to be announced within a few weeks. Finally, Eurail's range of National Passes (good for exploring a single country by rail) has been expanded and now includes Benelux (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxemburg), Croatia, Ireland, Italy and Portugal.
The EURAIL Group comprises 27 railways and shipping lines, as well as several bonus partners. For more information about Eurail and to purchase, go to www.Eurail.com or one of Eurail's authorized sales agents: ACP Rail International (eurail-acprail.com); Flight Centre (flightcentre.com); OctopusTravel.com and Rail Europe 4A (raileurope.fr/wheretobuy).
