The German travel industry is optimistic about the travel year 2025. The German Travel Association (DRV) forecasts a stable revenue growth of six percent year-on-year for the holiday and leisure travel market, which includes at least one overnight stay for the tourism year 2024/25 (from November 1, 2024, to October 31, 2025).
This projection indicates that the anticipated expenditure on travel services booked before the start of the holiday is expected to reach 85 billion euros in the current year. This figure includes package tours offered by tour operators and individually planned and self-organized holiday trips. Approximately half of this overall travel market is generated by tour operators from package and modular tours.
The number of travelers is expected to remain consistent with the previous year, totaling around 139 million. These predictions are based on the latest market forecast developed by the DRV in collaboration with industry experts, published twice a year: at the beginning of the year and just before summer.
Winter Season: Growth, Especially for Sunny Destinations
For the 2024/25 winter season, from November 1 to April 30, the DRV anticipates that travel spending will increase by six percent, reaching 27 billion euros, up from 24 billion euros in the previous year. However, the number of travelers is expected to decline slightly, by one percent, to approximately 45 million compared to 2024.
The DRV forecasts continued growth in demand, particularly for medium-haul destinations around the Mediterranean. Meanwhile, long-haul travel and cruises are expected to maintain a stable high demand. However, travel by car, train, or bus is projected to decrease slightly this winter, though this will only marginally impact the overall growth. It is increasingly clear that flights to popular destinations such as the Canary Islands, Turkey, and Egypt will experience stronger bookings this winter.
Summer Season: High Demand for the Mediterranean, Long-haul Travel and Cruises
The forecast of the German travel industry for the summer of 2025 is promising, as a significant portion of the population is eager to travel. This optimism is reflected in the strong advance bookings for both tour operator packages and individual trips for the summer season. More Germans have booked a package or modular tour from a tour operator than last year, continuing the trend of early bookings, particularly for summer vacations.
The travel industry anticipates sales growth of five percent, reaching 58 billion euros for the tour operator and individual travel market. Medium-haul destinations, cruises, and long-haul travel primarily drive this positive development. Regarding flight package tours, popular Mediterranean vacation spots, such as Turkey, Spain, and Greece, and oceanic cruises remain in high demand. Around 94 million travelers are expected to embark on trips this summer, the same number as in the summer of 2024.