German travel industry records successful summer season despite crisis

Since the outbreak of the Iran conflict, energy prices have been rising, making everyday life and especially long-distance travel more expensive. Overall, the industry is still growing. “People save less on vacation than on vacation,” observes the German Travel Association.

The German travel industry has seen a successful summer season so far. “There was recently a strong last-minute boost, so that sales of package holidays increased by four percent by the end of July compared to the same period last year,” said Albin Loidl, President of the German Travel Association (DRV) to “Welt am Sonntag”. The overall market grew by one percent to 57 billion euros.

With the start of the Iran war at the end of February, bookings initially fell significantly. However, the industry apparently recovered from this. According to the DRV president, German vacationers are still very cautious only when it comes to long-distance trips: compared to the previous year, sales fell by 14 percent.

Association: Many tourists skimp on restaurants

According to Loidl's analysis, consumers are not reacting to the noticeably increased prices in the wake of the war by giving up travel - but by increasing thrift at their vacation destination: "Travellers are thinking about whether it really has to be a second glass of wine or booking fewer activities," he told the Sunday newspaper. "People therefore save less on vacation than on vacation."

The German Travel Association (DRV) is the leading interest group of the German tourism industry and, with its around 2,300 members, represents around 90 percent of the total market turnover of travel agencies and tour operators. The association includes industry giants such as TUI and Dertour as well as numerous medium-sized travel providers and many local travel agencies.