According to Norbert Fiebig, President of the German Travel Association (DRV), who shared current trends in the German travel market at the ITB Berlin opening press conference, travelling remains in high demand.
Mr Friebig outlined that despite economic and geopolitical uncertainties, Germans are not prepared to cut back on their holidays. In challenging times, travel offers a valuable opportunity to escape everyday life and gain new perspectives. The numbers the association president shared demonstrate that Germans are continuing to seek these enriching experiences.
Despite a slight drop in the total number of trips during the 2023/24 travel season, spending on advance bookings increased by six percent, reaching a turnover of more than €83 billion and an increase of 20 percent with respect to the pre-pandemic years. The market for organised travel, such as package tours and travel services provided by tour operators, has also seen particularly strong growth, achieving a turnover of almost €40 billion. According to Mr Fiebig, organised holidays have reached nearly the same level as private holidays.
Additionally, Mr Friebig said that the outlook for 2025 looks positive, with a strong trend of early reservations explaining that summer holiday bookings already exceeded last year’s figure by 11 percent at the end of January.
