Albania sees surge in German travelers
New data shows that German citizens' desire to travel remains unchanged, despite the crisis. But prices are more often taken into account, so countries such as Tunisia, Bulgaria and Albania benefit, CE Report quotes Kosova Press.
Germans' passion for travel has not diminished even in the most difficult economic times. "Despite all the economic and geopolitical challenges - Germans are traveling! Holidays seem to be the last thing they are willing to save for," says the president of the German Association of Travel Agencies (DRV), Norbert Fiebig, writes DW.
Total revenue from the summer season, which runs from May to October 2024, increased by 12 percent compared to last year, according to DRV data. The number of passengers increased by six percent. For the entire tourist year, from November 2024 to October 2025, DRV predicts an 11 percent increase in revenue and four percent more passengers.
In addition, German citizens are booking their summer holidays earlier. “Early booking is preferred,” Fiebig emphasizes of the changing trend.
Germans are spending more than ever before on travel.
Germans already spent a record amount on travel last year, according to analysis by the YouGov DRV institute. 83.4 billion euros were spent on pre-booked trips, which is 5.6 percent more than the previous year.
The biggest growth this summer is in packages to Eastern Mediterranean countries and long-distance travel. According to DRV data, the number of holiday package bookings has increased by six percent. While the most popular destination is Turkey, with revenues of around 1.2 billion euros.
In addition to classic holiday destinations such as Spain (also around 1.2 billion euros in revenue) and Greece (1 billion euros), the top ten also includes more affordable destinations such as Tunisia, Bulgaria and Egypt.
"In challenging economic times, money is not spent as easily - and this is reflected in the choice of travel destinations," said Fiebig.
According to DRV, one of the most popular destinations this year is Albania, which was also a partner country of the ITB fair in Berlin. Albania has recorded the highest growth rate for the summer, of 36 percent. However, compared to other Mediterranean countries, total tourism revenues from this country remain relatively low.
The data is based on revenues from traditional travel agencies and online tour operator platforms. All bookings up to the end of January 2025 were taken into account, while bookings through call centers, Booking and Airbnb were not included.
The sustainability trend, in which tourist destinations, including Croatia, have invested a lot of energy in recent years, does not seem to play a role. "Only a fifth of tourists are willing to pay more for a trip based on the principle of sustainability," according to a study by the German automobile club ADAC, published at the beginning of ITB.
