Lieblingsziele der Deutschen während der Sommerferien 2021

Munich, July 22, 2021 (w&p) – Germans’ enthusiasm for vacations remains undiminished: According to a study by the Verband Internet Reisevertrieb e.V. (VIR), conducted in collaboration with the technology company Amadeus, Antalya remains the most popular short-haul destination this year, while Punta Cana has surged to the top of the list for long- and medium-haul destinations.

The two technology specialists analyzed online bookings for package tours and last-minute trips with travel dates between June 19 and September 13, 2021, that were made online via the Amadeus system by June 15, 2021. They measured the share of bookings for each destination relative to the total bookings for all top ten domestic and international destinations.

VIR Board Member Michael Buller summarizes the results as follows: “The joy of vacationing and the pleasure of spending days off in the sun and relaxing are back and palpable this year. COVID-19 or not: Germans are enjoying the summer on the Mediterranean and at sunny destinations in the Indian Ocean and the Caribbean. The joy of vacationing, which was very limited last year, remains undiminished, and summer destinations are as popular as ever!” At the same time, the association head is pleased that sales on online portals have surged dramatically in recent weeks. “I’m hearing from our member companies that customer demand has increased almost explosively,” Michael Buller confirms.

Four Greek islands in the top 10

Looking at individual short-haul destinations, Antalya remains at the top of the list in 2021. This means that, just as it did two years ago, the region on the Turkish Riviera attracts more German tourists than Mallorca. Heraklion on Crete has moved up one spot to third place this year, followed closely by two other Greek islands: Rhodes and Kos. Despite a long-standing travel warning, Hurghada in Egypt holds sixth place, while the Canary Islands—Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, and Tenerife—continue to enjoy great popularity. The top 10 is rounded out by another Greek island, Corfu. The winner of the season is Heraklion, which saw its share of bookings among all top ten nearby destinations grow from 9% to 15% compared to 2019. 

Punta Cana is experiencing significant growth

Among long- and medium-haul destinations, Punta Cana tops the popularity and booking charts this summer, jumping two spots compared to 2019. The share of this destination in the Dominican Republic is nearly three times higher than it was two years ago. The Maldives have seen a slightly smaller increase; while its share has doubled, the archipelago in the Indian Ocean remains in second place. Dubai follows behind—the emirate had been at the top in 2019. The destinations that follow—Cancun, Abu Dhabi, Mauritius, and Havana—cover the spectrum of long-haul sun destinations. This also includes the Seychelles as well as Santo Domingo and Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic.

Longer trip duration, lower price

As the leading organization in digital tourism, the VIR has identified additional trends from the booking figures: At 60 percent, the vast majority of vacationers travel as couples, while 19 percent go on family vacations. The average trip duration has increased from 8.7 to 9.2 days. However, after a year-long hiatus from vacationing, Germans are spending slightly less on package and last-minute trips this year. In 2019, the average trip price was 1,995 euros; in the summer of 2021, it has dropped slightly to 1,930 euros. Another trend can be observed in booking behavior, as people in Germany are booking at shorter notice. There are 71 days between booking and departure; two years ago, that period was still 77 days.