The German travel market has reportedly shrunk because of the crisis in Turkey after years of growth for the first time. According to initial calculations of the German Travel Association (DRV) the revenue of the outbound travel for the past financial year (reporting date: October 31) decreased by three to four percent.
The revenues fell by around one billion euros to about 26.3 billion euros. The German travel agencies reported a revenue of 22.9 billion euros.
This year significantly fewer Germans traveled to Turkey because of the attacks in Istanbul and an attempted coup. However, even Egypt and Tunisia suffered a considerable drop in the number of German tourists. The three countries together lost between 40 and 60 percent in sales, reported the DRV.
"We're looking at a quite challenging year," the president of the DRV, Norbert Fiebig said, referring to the attacks and crises in recent months. "They have shaken the world and the tourism industry."
On the other hand, the dire security situation was of great benefit for Spain, Italy, Portugal, Greece and Bulgaria – and Germany and its neighbors. The German outbound travel also recorded an increase with respect to long-distance tours and cruises.
The sales of long-distance holiday went up by 3 percent over the past financial year. The most popular destinations were in the Caribbean – the Dominican Republic and Cuba, and then South Africa, Namibia and Kenya. UAE also rose slightly in popularity but tours to the U.S., Thailand, and the Maldives were booked less.
Bookings for the winter season 2016/17 are, according to the DRV, still below the previous year. Strong growth however is expected in the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands.