The summer season is in full swing and many stakeholders in the tourism industry have been looking forward to this period after difficult times in the Covid-19 context.
What must be said about this year is the fact that in contrast to last summer, there will be a bigger focus on international travel, while domestic tourism will return slightly in the background.
This is also the case of German travelers, who are set to travel abroad much more in the next couple of weeks, especially to seaside destinations around the world. But where in particular will they travel?
Antalya Leads to Top Travel Destinations
The Association of Internet Travel Sales (VIR) and Amadeus have evaluated the bookings of all-inclusive and last-minute trips with travel dates between June 19 and September 13, which were made online via the Amadeus system by June 15.
The study showed some interesting developments with regards to Germans’ top travel destinations. Whereas Antalya (Turkey) is still on top of the list of most popular destinations among Germans, Punta Cana (Dominican Republic) has become the most popular medium to a long-distance summer destination.
Four Greek Islands in the Top 10
As it was two years ago, the front runner Antalya is ahead of Mallorca in the ranking. Heraklion on Crete has moved one place up to the third position this year, with two other Greek islands, Rhodes and Kos, following immediately behind.
Hurghada in Egypt has ranked sixth, despite the long-standing travel warning from the federal government. The destination is followed by the Canary Islands Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria and Tenerife, which continue to enjoy great popularity.
The list of top travel destinations closes with another Greek island Corfu. The winner of the season is Heraklion with a growth (compared to 2019) between 9 and 15 %.
The Dominican Republic Increasing in Popularity
In terms of long-haul and medium-haul destinations, Punta Cana is right on the top of the popularity. This represents a jump of two places compared to 2019. The share of the destination in the Dominican Republic is almost three times as high as it was two years ago.
The Maldives recorded not quite as big an increase. Here the share has doubled, but the archipelago in the Indian Ocean is still in second place of the ranking.
Dubai is in third place, despite being on top of the list two years ago. The emirate is followed by Cancun (Mexico), Abu Dhabi (UAE), Mauritius, Havana, Seychelles as well as Santo Domingo and Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic.
Most Germans Travel in Couples
The vast majority (60 %) of German holidaymakers travel in couples, while 19 % go on family vacations. The average trip time has increased from 8.7 to 9.2 days.
On the other hand, after a one-year vacation break on the package and last-minute trips, Germans are spending slightly less on recreation this year. In 2019 the average price was 1995 euros, in summer 2021 it fell slightly to 1930 euros.
Another trend can be seen in the booking behavior - German bookings are made at short notice. There are on average 71 days between booking and departure, while two years ago the time span was 77 days.