Germany Travel Trends Report 2025
"A polarised market is emerging as travellers adapt their behaviour in response to the ongoing polycrisis, forcing brands to provide flexible bookings and upgrades."
Silvia Hondt, Senior Research Analyst
German Travel Industry Trends
- While holidays in Southern regions remain top of mind, domestic tourism and holidays in Northern countries – dubbed ‘Coolcations’ – are gaining momentum, driven by younger generations. This highlights how travellers are adapting their behaviour to the current polycrisis, which includes still-high cost of living, global conflict, trade discussions and climate change.
- After a period of rising prices, inflation is set to ease; however, amid ongoing crises, some consumers remain cautious with their spending. The widening gap between financially healthy and less-affluent consumers is shaping a two-track market: premium growth for the affluent, and deal-hunting for cost-sensitive groups.
- To help consumers adapt to evolving economic situations, brands need to continue to provide flexibility. This can include easy-to-cancel or reschedule bookings, and modular add-ons such as holiday activities, which can serve as upsell opportunities.
- Digital landscapes are shifting: while search engines dominate holiday research, AI-powered chatbots and social media inspiration are quickly growing their influence on traveller journeys. To succeed, travel brands need to balance trustworthy digital journeys with human elements.
This Report Looks at the Following Areas:
- Holiday participation and future travel plans, with a focus on destination trends among Gen Zs and Younger Millennials
- Changing travelling behaviour in times of multiple crises, including high cost of living, climate change, global conflict and trade discussions
- Demand for unique holiday experiences, and how brands can cater activities to different target groups, such as families with Gen Alpha children
- Transformation of holiday planning and booking through AI-powered search, chatbots and social commerce models
Collapse All
-
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- What you need to know
- Outlook for Germany’s travel market
- Opportunities
- Stay agile in times of ongoing crisis
- Future-proof by selling experiences
- Leverage AI’s value with the inclusion of a human touch
-
THE MARKET
- Consumers and the economic outlook
- Holiday spending reflects a widening wealth gap
- AI travel tools fuel the generational divide
- Sustainability remains important in an ever-changing world
-
THE CONSUMER
- Destinations visited and future plans
- Germans’ wanderlust is crisis-proof
- Tap into domestic travel trends among younger generations
- Graph 1: taken and planned domestic holidays within Germany, 2024-25
- Gen Z drives a shift in European travel behaviour
- Graph 2: taken and planned holiday destinations abroad, 2025
- Tap into travellers’ eagerness for exploration
- Holidays in times of crisis
- Travellers adapt their holidaying behaviour to polycrisis
- Engaged travellers need support
- Adapt to consumer strategies to cope with high cost of living
- Graph 3: influence of high cost of living on different aspects of holiday plans in the next 12 months, by financial situation, 2025
- Provide safe holidays abroad in times of global turmoil
- ‘Coolcation’ as a rising trend
- Tap into climate-smart holidays
- Holiday experiences
- Match holiday activities to generational preferences
- Graph 4: holiday activities in the next 12 months, by generation, 2025
- Shift your message from relaxation to personal development
- Leverage experiences to upsell
- Prepare for experience-driven Gen Alpha travellers
- Holiday research platforms
- Elevate search engines’ enduring power
- Graph 5: holiday research platforms for different aspects of holiday planning and booking, 2025
- Update your SEO strategy to stay relevant
- Make brand social media profiles a trustworthy source
- The AI trust gap is a barrier for new tools
- Graph 6: agreement with ‘I think Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbots will be more helpful with planning a holiday than travel agents in the future’, by selected generations, 2025
- Graph 7: agreement with ‘I would feel confident asking an Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbot to book a holiday for me’, by selected generations, 2025
- Explore the advantages of AI
- Graph 8: AI used for different aspects of holiday planning and booking, by selected generations, 2025
-
INNOVATION AND MARKETING
- Airbnb taps into services and experiences…
- …with a focus on authenticity
- TUI launches experiences for locals
- TikTok × booking.com move towards social commerce in the US
- Nox Train aims to launch climate-friendly transport through Europe
- Black Forest launches ‘Schwarzwald Marie’ as AI brand ambassador
-
APPENDIX
- Report scope
- The consumer
- Consumer research questions
- Consumer research methodology
- German generation groups
- Abbreviations
- A note on language
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 up to 20% when you purchase multiple reports
Discount automatically applied in basket
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
One of the biggest challenges we face is the need to get smart on a business or category real quick.
We are talking to clients who live and breathe their category every day and the expectation is that we will be able to get caught up very quickly, and bring the thinking that can help them.
We need to do that often in a matter of days, so it’s not a small ask. Mintel gives us a very articulate view of category conditions and does so at the speed we need it.
Jeff White, Business Development Director, Deutsch
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
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
We have such a great working relationship with Mintel on lots of different levels. As an insight partner, they have helped us to develop our business planning in specific categories as well as supporting our creative process but they’ve also been super helpful with facilitating our events in their inspirational offices near St Paul’s.
They’re an innovative company, with a client-focused team that always delivers.
Abby Carvosso, Group Managing Director, Bauer Media Group
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
Next Starts Here
Whatever your business needs, we have the solution. From market intelligence reports to customised growth strategies.
Learn more
