Given the strong demand for the summer season, the German travel industry is expecting increasing sales for holiday and private trips. The industry association DRV expects that people in Germany will spend a total of 78 billion euros on services that are booked before the start of their vacation – both on package tours and on individually tailored vacations.
Sales growth of four percent compared to the previous year was predicted for trips of at least one night. However, the number of travelers in the 2023/24 tourism year is likely to miss the value before the corona pandemic.
The consequences of the increased aviation tax are still unclear
Given the high inflation, fewer people were traveling with tour operators in 2022/2023 than before the pandemic. According to the information, it is not yet possible to predict how the federal government’s planned increase in aviation tax will affect prices and demand. “Obviously, many German citizens could no longer afford a vacation trip in 2023 due to increased costs,” said DRV President Norbert Fiebig. The federal government should not make traveling any more expensive.
According to the forecast, the majority of the population will not give up traveling. This was also indicated by the advance bookings of tour operators for the summer season, which have so far been significantly higher than the values from last year and the pre-pandemic year of 2019.
Turkey and Greece are likely to be growth drivers for air package holidays. When it comes to long-distance travel, the DRV expects an increase in travelers of eleven percent and an increase in sales of 18 percent compared to the previous year. “Many long-distance travel destinations such as the USA, Australia, Thailand or Indonesia have only gradually recovered after the corona pandemic,” explained Fiebig. Catch-up effects can therefore still be expected.
The association wants to publish the forecast, which has been prepared for the entire travel market for the first time, twice a year in the future.
