Tourexpi
Travel Trends 2025: Affordability Trumps Sustainability in German Market
According
to the German Travel Association (DRV), Germans are projected to spend €85
billion on pre-trip travel services this year, marking a 6% increase over 2024.
Spending
on organized travel—including package holidays and tailor-made tours—is also on
the rise, expected to total €40 billion in 2025, up 7% year-on-year. Cruise
tourism remains a key growth driver, with 3.8 million Germans taking river and
ocean cruises in 2024, and numbers forecast to climb again this year.
Destination
Priorities and Budget Sensitivity
Top
summer destinations remain familiar: Turkey, with its strong all-inclusive
offerings, leads the pack, followed by Spain and Greece. Warm-weather locations
across the Mediterranean continue to dominate early bookings. “Despite economic
and geopolitical uncertainty, travel remains a non-negotiable priority for many
Germans,” said DRV President Norbert Fiebig.
Still,
rising costs are leaving their mark. Countries with lower price tags like Bulgaria,
Tunisia, and Egypt are gaining popularity. The Balkans, especially Montenegro
and Albania, are also seeing more interest. According to the ADAC Travel
Monitor, one in three Germans now considers saving money essential when
planning holidays, and 32% do not intend to travel at all in 2025—up from 17%
in 2022.
Sustainability
Falls Behind in Booking Decisions
While
climate change awareness is growing, only 20% of travelers are willing to pay
extra for sustainability-oriented features like local sourcing or
eco-certification. Practical concerns like destination cost and overall appeal
continue to outweigh environmental considerations.
Natural
disaster risks are starting to enter travel planning: 18% of respondents now
take extreme weather events into account, up from 14% in 2022. However,
incidents like last summer’s floods in Valencia or Mediterranean heatwaves have
had limited impact on actual booking behavior.
Industry
Responsibility and the ‘Attitude-Behavior Gap’
The
data highlights a persistent gap between sustainable values and actual travel
choices—a dynamic known as the attitude-behavior gap. According to tourism
expert Prof. Heinz-Dieter Quack of Ostfalia University, it is up to tour
operators, not individual travelers, to drive change. “Sustainability won’t
come from consumer demand. The industry must proactively lead, integrating
environmental responsibility into product design and marketing,” he said.
Quack
calls for digital tools to help manage tourist flows, and in some cases,
restrictions on overtourism. These solutions, he argues, are crucial to
preserving both the environment and the visitor experience.
As
inflation bites and climate risks rise, Germany's travel market remains
resilient—but the path toward sustainable tourism, experts warn, will require
more than good intentions.
Image Credit: © Tourexpi with Adobe Express
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