UTRECHT, The Netherlands, July 18, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia/ --
Eurail Group G.I.E., the organization dedicated to the marketing and management of the Eurail Passes, reports that more than 183,000 non-Europeans enjoyed the freedom of traveling with a Eurail Pass from January through May of 2012. Eurail Global Pass sales increased by 9.4% and Eurail Select Pass sales increased by 5.0% compared to 2011.
"Based on the first five months of 2012, we are pleased to see the surge in sales of both the Eurail Global and Eurail Select Pass and we hope that this is an early indicator that consumer travel in general is on the rebound. Eurail pass holders must clearly perceive the Global Pass and the Select Pass as a competitive and cost effective product to travel with," says Ana Dias e Seixas, Eurail Group's Marketing Director.
The original Eurail pass, valid in 13 countries, was hailed as "the Master Key to Europe" and was the only pass of its kind from 1959 until 1994 when additional products were introduced. At present, the Eurail Global Pass is valid in 23 countries and can be used on 138,000 miles of track in today's European network, whereas the Eurail Select Pass provides unlimited rail travel through three, four or five adjoining Eurail countries, with 24 different countries participating in this offer.
Eurail Group also reports that Germany, Italy, Switzerland, France and Austria were the most popular countries for Eurail Global & Select Pass holders in 2011.
Most Popular Most Popular
Countries Countries
2011 (Global Pass) (Select Pass - 3 countries)
1 Germany Germany
2 Italy Switzerland
3 Switzerland Italy
4 France France
5 Austria Austria
6 Netherlands Spain
7 Spain Belgium
8 Belgium Netherlands
9 Czech Republic Czech Republic
10 Hungary Denmark
There are currently four types of Eurail Passes offered to suit the travel needs of non-European travelers: the Eurail Global Pass for travel in 23 member countries; the Eurail Select Pass, valid in three, four or five adjoining countries; the Eurail Regional Pass, restricted to small groups of neighboring countries; and the Eurail One Country Pass, making the perfect travel companion for exploring a single country. Consumers can visit http://www.eurailtravel.com for more information.
The Eurail Group, with its headquarters located in Utrecht, the Netherlands, is wholly owned by the participating railways and shipping companies with key decisions being taken by the board, consisting of eight appointed member railways. In addition, the Group has many benefit partners, including hotels, transport companies and museums, which offer their services either at a reduced rate or free of charge for rail pass holders
Eurail Group corporate website and press room: http://www.eurailgroup.org
Press Contacts: Ana Dias e Seixas & Ellie Kingswell
E-mail: pressinfo@eurailgroup.org, Tel: + 31(0)30-7516-500
Eurail photo library: http://eurail.informationstore.net
