DRV takes initial stock of the 2025 summer travel season: Overall 6 percent increase in sales – Bulgaria, Thailand, and Egypt show strong growth.

The outlook for the upcoming winter season clearly shows that Germans are booking their trips even earlier and are increasingly opting for long-haul destinations for their vacations in the coming months.

The German Travel Association (DRV) is confident about the coming winter half-year: “Even more Germans than in previous years want to extend their summer into the dark season in distant countries and escape the cold weather here with a long-haul trip,” says Norbert Fiebig, president of the travel industry association. Long-haul trips are generally booming in winter – but for the 2025/26 winter season (November 2025 to April 2026), they are being booked even more than in previous years. Demand was already high last winter, but this year's advance bookings are even exceeding last year's figures: long-haul travel has seen an 11 percent increase in sales, and 8 percent more vacationers than in the same period last year have already booked a trip to more distant countries. These are the findings of analyses conducted by Travel Data + Analytics (TDA) for the DRV.

The analyses, based on bookings made by the end of August, are based on booking data from travel agencies and online travel portals that sell tour operator products.Destinations in Africa stand out in particular with a 25 percent increase in sales, as do destinations in Southeast Asia with 16 percent and regions in the Indian Ocean and the Middle East. Overall, these account for almost three-quarters of sales, representing the lion's share.

According to TDA's analysis, demand for the Caribbean and Central/South America remains stable, while sales for the USA are still 27 percent behind last winter's figures.

In addition to long-haul destinations, western medium-haul destinations such as the Canary Islands, with a 10 percent increase in sales, and eastern medium-haul destinations (including Egypt and Turkey), also with a 10 percent increase in sales, are also seeing rising demand. The cruise segment – generally one of the strongest growth drivers in the German travel industry – is growing by 8 percent in terms of sales. They already account for 30 percent of all winter trips booked by early bookers.

Turnover up 9 percent, guests up 6 percent according to current figures

When it comes to bookings, many customers are opting for the tour operators' flex packages – for a small surcharge, the booking can be rebooked or canceled free of charge until shortly before departure. “It is encouraging that the season has started with a strong number of early bookings. This shows that package tours offered by tour operators continue to grow in popularity among customers,” said DRV President Norbert Fiebig. Customers appreciate the advantages of an attractive price-performance ratio, reliable crisis management, and assistance from the tour operator in case of an emergency, as well as financial security in the event of insolvency. One thing is clear: when booking a package tour, travelers are much better protected.

Across all types of travel and destinations, revenue growth for the winter season currently stands at 9 percent based on current booking figures. The number of winter vacationers booking package tours and modular trips from tour operators is up 6 percent compared to the same period last year.

Summer travel 2025: Families opt for affordable sunny destinations

The 2025 summer season is not yet over for the travel industry – it does not end until October 31. However, according to evaluations by Travel Data + Analytics (TDA) for the DRV, it is already clear that the 2025 summer travel season will end with good revenue growth. Based on the current booking status at the end of August, the increase in sales compared to the previous year amounts to around 6 percent. The number of customers who have booked a vacation with a tour operator as a package or modular trip for the summer has risen slightly by 1 percent – but remains 10 percent below the summer of 2019.

Holidays in the eastern Mediterranean – including Greece and Turkey – were in particularly high demand, with a 9 percent increase in sales. Destinations in the eastern Mediterranean now account for almost half of total summer sales. Long-haul holiday destinations were also in high demand in the summer, with a 6 percent increase in sales. Both destinations in the western Mediterranean (primarily Spain) and cruises saw a 3 percent increase in sales compared to the summer of 2024.

When it came to choosing individual travel destinations, it was clear that more affordable destinations benefited particularly: Bulgaria, for example, recorded a 41 percent increase in sales in the summer. Thailand (up 18 percent) and Egypt (up 17 percent) also continue to rise in popularity among travelers. Turkey, which has consistently shown some of the highest growth rates in recent years, remains in line with the market average with 6 percent growth. The country remains the most popular summer destination for families.

The important long-haul destination of the USA, which was largely booked early last year for this summer and was still showing strong growth among pre-booked destinations at the beginning of the year, has lost demand in recent months. In terms of revenue, the USA has lost almost a fifth compared to last summer.