Eurail Group has reported a rise in the number of Eurail passengers travelling from outside of Europe over the past year.

Annual sales results at the organisation, which is dedicated to the marketing of the Eurail product range, indicate that 451,227 non-Europeans travelled with a Eurail Pass in 2011, which represents a steady increase of 5.6 per cent on 2010 figures.

Sales for the entire product range showed steady growth during 2011, with each of the global sales regions performing very well.

Overall, sales from South America increased by 16.6 per cent compared to 2010, Asia by 16.9 per cent and Central America by 10.3 per cent.

The only exception was the North American and Canadian market which reported a slight decline in sales because of the effects of a still challenging economy. 

March and May were record months indicating that the Eurail Select Pass “free day promotion” was a huge success.

The best selling pass remains the Eurail Select Pass which represents 36.4 per centof the overall market share and demonstrates the current trend towards passengers visiting fewer countries (sales of this pass rose by 7.6 per cent in 2011).

According to Eurail Group’s managing director, René de Groot, the strong summer period and the various promotions throughout the year supported the overall sales of Eurail Passes.

“Last year was a positive year despite the global recession and the fact that the North American market is still struggling.

“Fortunately, all of our other markets performed very well which resulted in an 8.6% increase in revenues compared to 2010.

“Based on this outcome, we are optimistic about the year ahead, especially because non-European markets appear less pressured by economic concerns,” concluded de Groot.