Spain, Turkey, and Greece are, for another summer tourist season, the three favorite destinations of German vacationers who will choose organized vacations, who, however, show an increasingly greater interest in more economical traditional destinations such as Bulgaria, Tunisia, Egypt, and Albania, in their effort to not miss their summer vacations abroad. This is the conclusion of the German Travel Association (DRV), in collaboration with the consulting firm Dr Fried & Partner and with the support of analysts from Travel Data + Analytics (TDA) and industry experts, for this year’s summer travel period.
According to DRV’s report, which includes holidays and leisure trips with at least one overnight stay, demand for holidays remains high this year, with Eastern Mediterranean countries, cruises, and long-distance trips showing particular demand. “Despite economic crises and challenges, Germans still want to travel,” says DRV President Norbert Fiebig. And he adds: “The well-secured vacation package remains in high demand.”
Market overview
DRV estimates a 3% increase in sales of organized vacation packages through travel agents for the 2025 summer season (April to October). While individual, self-organized trips by car, train or bus are expected to decrease by 2%. This leads to a predicted 1% increase for the summer for the total travel market—both travel agents and individual travel. According to the forecast, the number of travelers will decrease by 2%, as fewer people are expected to travel by car, bus, or train.
“The Germans do not want to miss their summer vacations abroad. But this year they are also increasingly choosing traditional, cheaper destinations, such as Bulgaria, Tunisia, Egypt, or Albania,” explains Norbert Fiebig, president of DRV. And he adds: “The three most popular destinations for organized vacations this summer are again Spain, Turkey, and Greece.”
Increased last-minute bookings for Greece as well
The largest increase in sales for the summer, tourist period of 2025 is expected for cruises (+6%), long-distance travel (+6%), and travel to countries in the eastern Mediterranean (+5%).
Another characteristic of this season is last-minute bookings, which have seen a noticeable increase in the last few weeks, following strong pre-bookings, with demand focusing on popular mid-range destinations such as Turkey, Egypt, the Balearic Islands, and Greece.
Greece and Turkey have an advantage
For the 2024/25 tourist year as a whole (including the winter period from November 1, 2024, to April 30, 2025), the trend is similar to that of the summer: according to forecasts, revenue for the tour operating market will increase by 4%. Organized vacations to mid-range destinations in the eastern Mediterranean, such as Greece and Turkey, will see a 9% increase in revenue, and cruises will see an 8% increase.
Land travel by car, bus, or train, which is traditionally mostly self-organized, is also expected to decrease for the entire year, resulting in a 2% decrease in revenue. Overall, the market for vacations organized through travel agents will continue to exceed the market for self-organized trips in size.
Early data for the 2025/26 travel year
For the next travel year, starting with the winter season 2025/26 in November (November 1, 2025, to April 30, 2026), DRV also expects a slight increase in sales. Bookings for winter holidays through travel agents (currently up 3%) are already showing strong demand for long-distance travel and cruises.
“Long-distance travel and cruises are currently driving winter bookings. The most popular long-distance destinations for organized travel today are Thailand, the Dominican Republic, the Maldives, and the United Arab Emirates,” says DRV President Norbert Fiebig.
