Overtourism is a rising concern among Germans, with 41% of travellers and potential travellers wanting travel brands to prioritise overcrowding in popular destinations, up from 28% of travellers and potential travellers in 2023. This is fuelled by local protests and travellers’ firsthand experiences with overcrowded destinations, presenting opportunities for travel brands to encourage the exploration of lesser-known destinations.
Germans are grappling with multiple crises, including high living costs, global conflicts and trade disruptions, thereby losing sight of sustainability to some extent. While price is the key holiday brand choice factor, at 69% of potential travellers, a comprehensive sustainability policy ranks last. Brands need to step up efforts to create awareness of sustainable options and make sustainable travel affordable, for example by rewarding sustainable behaviour.
While greenwashing concerns continue to rise, brands can provide clear and transparent information to build trust and empower sustainable decision-making among travellers. AI can make sustainability information more accessible, for example via AI-powered chatbots answering consumer questions. This can help travellers adopt more sustainable travel behaviours, making sustainable travel a shared effort between brands and travellers.
This report looks at the following areas:
- Overview of current market performance and forecast for the next five years
- Holiday participation and travel brand choice factors with a focus on price and sustainability
- Impact of overtourism on popular destinations and consumer concerns
- The role of communication in empowering sustainable travel decisions
- Behaviours towards sustainable holidays with a focus on greenwashing and barriers to acting sustainably
Sustainability takes a back seat compared to price amid multiple crises. Brands can bring sustainability back into consumers’ minds by rewarding sustainable behaviour.
Silvia Hondt, Senior Research Analyst
Market Definitions
This Report considers consumer and industry responses to sustainable travel, encompassing the environmental, economic and social/cultural impacts of travel. A number of related terms, including ethical and responsible travel/ tourism, have also been used throughout. Holidays refer to overnight trips of at least one night made for leisure purposes. Trips for the purpose of visiting friends and family, business or other purposes are excluded. The market size does not separately cover sustainable holidays but the total holiday market.
Collapse All
-
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- What you need to know
- Opportunities
- Market size and forecast
- Outlook
-
OPPORTUNITIES
- Spark the desire to travel sustainably
- Embrace sustainability alongside today’s challenges
- Make the sustainable choice the best available offer
- Encourage sustainable behaviour
- Empower travellers to make sustainable travel choices
- Provide accessible information on your brands’ sustainability efforts…
- …and enable consumers to evaluate a holiday’s sustainability
- Guide travellers towards sustainable behaviour
- Tackle the rising challenge of overtourism
- Support popular destinations to combat overtourism
- Provide alternatives to lower pressure on popular destinations…
- …and ensure local communities benefit from tourism
-
Consumer
- Past and future holiday destinations
- Germans love to travel
- Graph 1: planned holiday destinations in the next three years, 2023, 2025
- Graph 2: holiday destinations in the last three years, 2023, 2025
- Holiday brands can take the lead in creating awareness of sustainable behaviour
- Engage emerging traveller groups
- Graph 3: plans to take any holiday in the next three years, by generation, 2023, 2025
- Deliver sustainability messages to Baby Boomers
- Travel company choice factors
- Sustainability takes a back seat
- Graph 4: travel brand choice factors in the next 12 months, 2025
- Bridge the gap between sustainability intentions and actions…
- …by providing support to make holidays sustainable
- Promote affordable sustainability
- Leverage price as a key choice factor
- Simplify the booking process
- Demonstrate expertise of sustainable travel
- Ethical travel priorities
- Overtourism is a rising concern
- Graph 5: sustainability issues travel brands should prioritise, 2023, 2025
- The challenge of overcrowded destinations is ever-present…
- Graph 6: behaviours towards sustainability in travel
- …influencing travellers’ priorities
- Tap into measures limiting tourists in overcrowded destinations
- Graph 7: behaviours towards overtourism, 2025
- Address sustainable travellers’ priorities…
- Graph 8: sustainability issues travel brands should prioritise, by holiday choice factors, 2025
- …in holistic sustainability policies
- Communications regarding sustainability
- Embrace the power of communication to address travellers’ concerns
- Graph 9: useful types of information about the sustainability of a holiday, 2025
- Leverage different types of information to increase reach
- Offer holistic detailed sustainability information…
- …combined with shortcuts
- Include sustainability information in the planning and booking process…
- …inspired by the Wilder Kaiser region
- Leverage AI as a supporting tool to understand sustainability policies
- Attitudes and behaviours
- Germans grow wary of greenwashing with rising sustainability awareness
- Graph 10: behaviour towards ‘I think that many travel companies are guilty of greenwashing’, 2023, 2025
- Graph 11: behaviours towards ‘I have a good understanding of how to travel sustainably’, 2023, 2025
- Build trust in sustainable travel
- Younger travellers justify loosening eco-friendly behaviour on holiday
- Younger generations struggle to balance sustainability with enjoyment…
- …and travel brands can help them make holidays more eco-friendly
- Graph 12: behaviours towards sustainability in travel – ‘I would be willing to pay more for flights that use sustainable aviation fuel (ie SAF)’, by generation, 2025
- Graph 13: behaviours towards sustainability in travel – ‘trying to avoid short-haul flights makes me look for alternative transport before booking’, by generation, 2025
- Show travellers how they can play their part
-
INNOVATION
- German tourism board provides inspiration for sustainable AI travel companion
- Train start-up Nox can be a game changer for sustainable travel through Europe
- myclimate expands to Germany with a tool fostering shared responsibilities
-
MARKET
- Market drivers
- Despite slowing inflation, travellers face rising holiday prices
- Graph 14: consumer price index for travel categories, 2025
- Multiple crisis are influencing travel plans…
- …and undermining engagement in sustainable practices
- Support for eco-friendly behaviour is needed
- Graph 15: trying to act in a way that is not harmful to the environment, 2023, 2024
- Crisis overload is shifting priorities
- Travel brands need to adapt to sustainability frameworks
- Regulations are focusing on the environmental impact of airlines
- Overtourism threatens popular destinations
- Market size
- Frequent travel fuels market value growth
- Ongoing market value growth reflects the priority on holidays
- Frequent short trips fuel strong market volume growth
- Volume growth drives value growth…
- …with Germans focsuing on  short trips
- Market forecast
- Forecast – note on US trade disruption
- Impact of US trade disruption for the holiday market
- Market value continues to grow…
- Graph 16: value of domestic and international holidays taken by German residents*, 2019-30
- …with a short-term decrease in market volume
- Graph 17: volume of domestic and international holidays taken by German residents*, 2019-30
- Ongoing crises mean sustainability will continue to lack importance short-term
- Overtourism and AI will continue to shape sustainable travel mid-term
- The long-term future of travel needs to be sustainable
-
APPENDIX
- Report scope and definitions
- Market definition
- Mintel’s approach to defining sustainability in travel
- Generations
- Abbreviations
- Methodology – Consumer research
- Consumer research methodology
- A note on language
- TURF analysis methodology
- TURF analysis – ‘Which of the following types of information about the sustainability of a holiday would you find useful?’
- Methodology – Market size and forecast
- Forecast methodology
- Forecast methodology – fan chart
- Market size – value
- Market size – volume
- Market forecast and prediction intervals – value
- Market forecast and prediction intervals – volume
Market Intelligence Made Easier With Mintel
The first Mintel Market Intelligence report was published over 50 years ago. Since then, we have provided our unique insights and understanding of consumers, innovation and global markets to thousands of customers worldwide. Here’s why our customers rely on Mintel:
- Gain a comprehensive, 360-degree view of the market: Mintel reports blend consumer research, market forecasts, product innovation tracking, and competitive analysis, allowing businesses to see every angle of their industry and identify new opportunities quickly.
- Make decisions with confidence, grounded in robust data: Each report draws on up-to-date, reliable information from trusted sources and industry experts, ensuring your strategies are based on solid evidence rather than speculation.
- Benefit from expert analysis and practical recommendations: Mintel’s reports are written by experienced analysts who interpret complex data and provide clear, actionable insights you can trust to guide your next moves.
- Stay ahead with actionable intelligence on market trends and consumer behaviour: By combining fresh research with long-term market monitoring, our reports help businesses anticipate changes and adapt strategically. So you’re prepared to make informed decisions and drive growth.
What goes into a Mintel Market Intelligence Report?
Curious about how a Market Intelligence report comes together? We like to think of it as building a detailed puzzle. We start with individual pieces: data from consumers, market statistics, industry trends, and online conversations. Then our expert analysts add world-class human insight and industry knowledge. The pieces are assembled to reveal a clear, comprehensive picture of a market.
The Four Pillars of Our Research
We use a combination of four main research methods when creating our reports, each adding a valuable perspective:
- Consumer Research: Direct surveys with real people, giving us clear, current insights into what people think and do.
- Desk Research: In-depth review of trusted data sources. We use this rich database, plus powerful internal tools that track new products and market sizes, to detect trends and guide forecasts.
- Trade Research: Insights from conversations with industry experts. Their real-world experience helps us understand what’s happening behind the scenes.
- Brand and Social Media Research: Analysis of online opinions and trends. This lets us spot trends, measure brand sentiment, and capture feedback in real time, adding further depth to our research.
Bringing It All Together
Each of these four pillars provides a different piece of the puzzle. Consumer research tells us what customers think, desk research provides the factual framework, trade research offers an insider’s view, and social media analysis reveals public sentiment.
Our expert analysts are skilled in weaving these diverse data streams together. They apply a range of quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques to uncover the deeper story, connecting the dots to deliver clear, actionable insights. This comprehensive, multi-layered process is how we transform raw data into a market intelligence report you can trust to inform your most important business decisions.
$ 2,995 (Excl.Tax)
-
Download today with instant access
Pay via credit card or invoice (net 30 payment terms)
-
Multiple formats provided
We send a PDF, Powerpoint and Excel Databook straight to your inbox. An interactive version of the report is also available on our online platform
-
Interactive databook included
Focus on the data that matters most to you with a customisable databook avaliable on our platform
-
Save 20% when you purchase two or more reports
Offer available for this month only
Next Starts Here
Whatever your business needs, we have the solution. From market intelligence reports to customised growth strategies.
Learn moreTrusted by global industry leaders
Mintel is really good for getting a handle on a particular category quickly. If we are working on a new business pitch in an area we don’t have much experience in, it’s a brilliant way to get up to speed with what’s going on, what’s changing and what the key trends are in any category.
It’s very rare now that anyone will plough through a 200-page report – that’s why the summaries are really useful. We know they are backed up by a lot of detail, so if you need to go into something in more depth you know the information will be all there for you.
Pauline Robson, Managing Partner, Mediacom
There is no question that Mintel is the go-to resource for the best quality market research, but I did not think it was an affordable option for Abacus Marketing to consider. As a small marketing agency, we only work with a few new clients each year.
However, we have a very high-end consultative approach to our work, so we really do need a partner like Mintel to provide the big agency experience we are always aiming to deliver. Our clients come from an incredibly diverse range of industry sectors, so we obviously need access to market research reports from a very wide spectrum of marketplaces – and that is precisely what we got.
Stephen Taylor-Brown, Managing Director, Abacus
Mintel helps us when we want to know something quickly – it provides fast answers to our questions. If we need to get a view of what’s going on in a particular market it’s very useful.
When carrying out background research, I find Mintel an excellent starting point.
The fact that it covers so many markets is a big plus for me– instead of having to buy specialist products in each area we are interested in, especially when we only require a brief view on a particular market, we can go to Mintel for help as a one-stop shop. I find Mintel a useful and valuable resource.
Ben Zeidler, Director - Research and Analytics, Tenth Wave
When I’m investigating specific sectors I tend to use Mintel reports for their forecasting, which I’ve always found to be very accurate.
They also offer really broad and deep coverage in their reports. They are very, very detailed. For example, we were able to gain insight across a wide range of business areas from just one report, proving that Mintel is excellent value for money.
So overall, it’s the level of detail and the quality of forecasting that really stand out for me.
Rebecca Green, Market Insight Manager, Wincanton
We utilize Mintel Reports, Trends and Comperemedia to mine for insights across the numerous business verticals that Epsilon serves, such as CPG, automotive, telecom, healthcare/pharma, retail and financial services.
By integrating Mintel insight into new business opportunities, we have been able to gain the competitive edge necessary to advance partnerships with global brands and key business players.
For our organization, it’s about depth and breadth. Having one without the other doesn’t enable success in our business.
Virginia Harvey, Secondary Research Manager, Epsilon
Next Starts Here
Whatever your business needs, we have the solution. From market intelligence reports to customised growth strategies.
Learn more
