Germans took fewer holidays last year for the first time since 2010 and there could be a further downturn this year, according to a major annual consumer survey.
In 2015, only 54% of Germans took a holiday of five days or more, compared to 57% in 2014 and 2013, the annual Tourism Analysis by the Hamburg-based research organisation Stiftung f?r Zukunftsfragen (‘Foundation for Future Studies’) found. The figure is based on a nationwide survey of 4,000 adults by market researchers GfK.
This was the first drop in German travel intensity for five years. “Many Germans are increasingly worried and are questioning the most important condition for a holiday: safety in the destination,” commented Ulrich Reinhardt, scientific head of the foundation. Notably, the proportion of people over 55 who took a five-day holiday dropped by six percentage points to 48% but the number of 35-54 year-olds who went on a five-day trip increased by two percentage points to 61%.
The outlook for 2016 is no better, according to the survey results. Asked about their travel plans for this year, 21% said they are not making any travel plans at all. This is two percentage points more than last year. The number of ‘undecided’ consumers lay at 37%.
Travel intensity
“The pessimism about the future could lead somewhat fewer Germans than usual this year to leave their usual surroundings for at least five days. That suggests that travel intensity in 2016 will not reach the level of last year,” the survey authors wrote.
More positively, the average length of a trip actually increased in 2015, for the first time in many years and after a steady reduction over the last decade. The average holiday lasted 12.6 days last year compared to 12.1 days in 2014. According to Reinhardt, “many Germans don’t want to cut their holidays any more. Instead they are saving on transportation or accommodation costs and are spending less at the destination, rather than having less time there.”
Among other findings, the Tourism Analysis showed that the average holiday cost increased to €1,109 per person last year from €1,071 in 2014.
In terms of destinations, Germany retained top spot in 2015. Among foreign destinations, Spain remained number one ahead of Italy, Turkey, Austria and France. Asia was the top long-haul destination region, followed by North America and North Africa.
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