Early bookers earlier than ever before. Growing demand for eastern Mediterranean countries.

In light of the current escalation in the Middle East, Albin Loidl, President of the German Travel Association (DRV), made the following statement at the start of the ITB Berlin international travel trade show: “We are monitoring the situation in the affected regions with attention and great concern. For our industry, the safety of travelers and our local partners is always our top priority. These developments show us once again how closely connected – and how fragile – our world is.”

Germans in the mood for summer vacations

Germans remain keen to travel this year, ensuring stable demand for vacations at a high level: German citizens decided on their summer vacations even earlier than in previous years – the majority of trips were already booked in the last six months. As a result, bookings in January were slightly lower than in the previous year. Nevertheless, early bookers are ensuring noticeable growth in both revenue and the number of travelers: based on bookings at the end of January, the summer season shows a 7 percent increase in revenue and a 4 percent increase in guests compared to last year. According to current figures, the most popular summer destination between May and October is Turkey – both in terms of revenue and the number of trips booked.

Germans play it safe when it comes to travel

“The latest figures confirm a clear trend: especially in uncertain times, Germans prioritize reliability and security when planning their vacations. Package flights are in particularly high demand, with a 14 percent increase in sales in the summer – 12 percent more guests than last year speak for themselves,” explains DRV President Albin Loidl. “Package tours are and remain a successful model.” Holidays on the water also continue to be very popular with German travelers: “With a 10 percent increase in sales compared to summer 2025, they are contributing significantly to growth,” says Loidl.

The top air travel destinations in summer 2026 by sales

·       Turkey

·       Spain

·       Greece

·       Egypt

·       Italy

·       Portugal

·       Tunisia

·       Maldives

·       Bulgaria

·       Mauritius

Mediterranean destinations are set for summer vacations and are once again recording sales growth: Turkey is currently up 12 percent, Spain 5 percent, and Greece 8 percent. Egypt (up 18 percent) and Italy (up 17 percent) are seeing above-average sales growth in organized travel. Bulgaria is also maintaining its strong growth from the previous year.

Long-haul travel: Rising demand for destinations in the East

Even though long-haul travel does not play a major role in the summer months – accounting for 9 percent of total summer sales – there are long-haul destinations that are seeing growing booking numbers and, in some cases, above-average sales growth. Long-haul destinations in the east are particularly popular with Germans this year, including the Maldives and Mauritius, each with an increase of 27 percent, and Thailand, for example, with an increase of 3 percent.

In the west, however, TDA evaluations show declines in sales and visitor numbers, including for the Caribbean and destinations in Central and South America. The trend for the USA, the most popular long-haul destination for Germans overall, is particularly striking. The snapshot of the booking status at the end of January shows that both advance booking sales and the number of people booked are down by double digits compared to the previous year. The USA currently ranks 14th in the ranking of all travel destinations (previous year: 8th place). It is apparent that package tours are not as severely affected by the decline as individually booked travel components. “Despite the current reluctance to book, the USA remains the most booked long-haul destination for the summer in terms of absolute tourist numbers,” says the DRV president. “No other long-haul destination achieves a comparable booking volume.”

The reasons for the reluctance to book are complex: A survey conducted exclusively for the DRV at the beginning of February by the market research company YouGov, representative of the resident population in Germany aged 18 and over, shows that economic and political factors as well as organizational hurdles have a significant influence on travel decisions. Around half of all respondents cited political and social developments as the reason for their current reluctance to book. Thirty-seven percent of the more than 2,000 respondents said they could not afford a trip to the US at present. For 31 percent, entry requirements and the organizational effort involved – for example, with ESTA – also represent an obstacle. Fifteen percent stated that they were not interested in the US as a travel destination or that other travel plans took priority.

Despite very good growth in Asia, the reluctance to book trips to the US is reducing the overall result for long-haul travel, which currently stands at a slight decline in sales of 1 percent and a 4 percent drop in vacationers for the summer.

Current winter season shows 2 percent more vacationers

We are currently only halfway through the current winter season (early November 2025 to late April 2026), but winter is already heading for a positive conclusion: Sales growth compared to winter 2025 is currently 4 percent. The number of winter vacationers is up 2 percent.