Greece is competing with Spain for first place in the German travel market’s top tourist destinations for this year’s tourist season, according to the latest estimates from TUI, the leading German tour operator.
Greece has an excellent start in bookings across all islands and ranks second, just behind Spain – with which it is almost tied – in the ranking of top destinations in the German travel market.
TUI transports approximately four million travelers to Greece annually and has about 50 privately owned hotels in the country. Only TUI fly connects Germany 180 times a week to Crete, Rhodes, and Kos.
“Greece is exciting with its diversity – from beach vacations to culture. Demand continues to increase dynamically. For us, Greece is one of the strategic growth markets in the Mediterranean,” said Benjamin Jacobi, CEO of TUI Germany, at the opening of the ITB Berlin international tourism fair.
The TUI booking rate in Europe for the summer of 2026 has increased, reaching almost 75%, with Antalya, Majorca, and Crete remaining particularly popular destinations.
The Canary Islands, Cyprus, and Tunisia are seeing an increase in demand for the summer, while Egypt is establishing itself as a stable value, with a significant rise in bookings. After the resumption of TUI fly’s direct flights to Sharm El Sheikh and the reopening of TUI Magic Life Redsina, there has been a significant increase in bookings on the Sinai Peninsula. Hurghada is already in fourth place in the ranking of the most popular destinations.
Location is key – proximity to the beach is the most important criterion
Location plays a crucial role in choosing accommodation. 49.1% of respondents in a survey conducted by Appinio on behalf of TUI reported that access to the beach or its proximity was the most important criterion. Good transportation connections (28.6%) and sea views (28.5%) follow. Visitor reviews also significantly influence one in three booking decisions (34.4%). Meanwhile, culinary offerings are gaining more importance: For 25.7%, culinary options are decisive, while the pool is important for 26.4%.
A clear trend is evident in the offers directed at specific target groups: 64.3% of respondents find adults-only hotels attractive. The most important reasons are peace and quiet (48.3%), time together as a couple (45.6%), and personal time for myself (40.7%).
TUI is responding with new adult-only offers, including Riu Palace Swahili in Zanzibar and TUI Blue Yaramar near Málaga.
Increased demand for solo travel – Crete is the top choice
Solo travel is in high demand, with 57.9% of German travelers willing to take such a trip. 32.5% have already traveled alone and would do it again, and 11% are actively planning a solo trip. The share of bookings for solo travel with TUI is approximately 11%.
The most popular destinations for solo travelers are Mallorca, Antalya, Crete, and Fuerteventura.
Tourism is Resilient
Resilient tourism message from TUI Germany CEO at ITB Berlin, which opened its doors today. “For us, ITB is the first real indicator for the new season every year. The signs are clear: tourism remains resilient. People want to travel and continue to give great priority to holidays,” Mr. Jacobi said.
TUI Germany started the 2026 summer season strongly, with the pre-booking period extended again to 213 days, up from 205 days last year, a development the company attributes to the fact that many Germans, mostly families, are booking early for their summer vacations, taking advantage of attractive and stable prices for children.
A recent representative survey conducted by the market research institute Appinio on behalf of TUI confirms this trend: 31.8% of respondents have already planned or booked their summer vacation, while 52.7% plan to travel but have not yet made a specific booking and are looking for inspiration. Only 15.6% have no travel plans for this year. “More than half of the people already have their vacation plans in mind, but have not yet implemented them. There is huge potential here in the coming weeks. This makes us very optimistic about future bookings,” said Mr. Jacobi.
Europe remains the favorite
Europe remains by far the most popular travel destination, attracting 57.6% of Germans, a number that rises to 63% among those aged 18 to 24. Long-distance travel remains attractive, particularly in Asia (7.3%), Africa (4.1%), and North and South America (2.9% combined), while about one in five (19.3%) Germans plan a trip within Germany.
According to Mr. Jacobi, there are still attractive offers, especially for Turkey, Greece, or Majorca, and travelers who are flexible with their dates can find very good prices and even better options. However, he warns that the situation will get more difficult during the July-August period. Popular destinations during this period are already showing significant increases, including the North Sea (+62%), Bodrum (+30%), Albania (+49%), and Canada (+38%). Greece, Egypt, and mainland Spain also continue to show growth.
“We are investing specifically in new hotels for our strong commercial brands and in attractive destinations. TUI represents holidays for everyone – from budget-friendly family trips to sophisticated luxury vacations,” Mr. Jacobi concluded.
Artificial intelligence: Travel planning gets smarter
Artificial intelligence (AI) has long been a part of travel planning, as confirmed by the latest research from Appinio. According to the findings, more than half of the respondents already use Artificial Intelligence: regularly (11.1%), for specific aspects of travel (21.4%), or at least occasionally (20.4%). Meanwhile, about one-third are still hesitant or uncertain about using AI.
“For us, Artificial Intelligence is not a future scenario, but rather a lived reality. Whether it’s personalized offers, dynamic pricing, more efficient processes in airlines and hotels, or in our app, we use Artificial Intelligence strategically to make the vacation experience better and more personalized,” said Mr. Jacobi.
The TUI Tours tourism portal demonstrates how Artificial Intelligence creates specific added value by combining inspiration with efficiency and creates individual tours in a few minutes instead of hours. Currently, individual road trips in the US and Canada are very popular, while long-distance destinations like Japan and South Korea are gaining more importance.
TUI also strategically uses Artificial Intelligence in its hotels to make processes more efficient and sustainable, for example, to measure and reduce food consumption.
