Travel Trends 2021/22: How Germans Prefer to Travel Despite the Pandemic

Summer 2021 was already the second summer where the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on our daily lives and our travel behavior. However, German travel enthusiasts do not let their desire to travel get dampened! Compared to the previous year, the demand for vacations has risen by 42.37%.

Nonetheless, travelers remain cautious, preferring holidays at the Baltic Sea rather than abroad. Nevertheless, the demand for foreign travel is also significantly increasing again, with almost half of Germans wanting to travel abroad again - provided that hygiene measures are adequate and there is the possibility to cancel at short notice.

But where are Germans currently most eager to travel? Which type of accommodation is the clear favorite, which vacation regions are becoming increasingly popular, and which types of holiday are currently preferred? The Travelcircus travel trend analysis has all the important answers.

In summer 2021, slightly more people traveled than the previous year, as the COVID situation had eased somewhat during the summer. More and more people were able to travel again thanks to vaccination or recovery certificates.

This year, the search volume clearly shows that Germans still prefer to vacation in their own country. On average, they searched for vacations in Germany 1,580,823 times from June to September 2021 - placing our beautiful homeland far ahead of Italy and the Netherlands.

Despite this high number of searches related to vacations in Germany, the demand has slightly decreased. In summer 2021, there were 4.44% fewer search queries than the year before. However, compared to 2019, vacation-related searches have more than doubled. This is certainly due to travel restrictions and uncertainties regarding traveling in general, but Germany's diversity makes it a fantastic travel destination!

Even though vacation-related search queries for Germany have decreased slightly, Germany remains the undisputed number one! But which regions are particularly popular, and which may have lost some demand?

Looking at the average search volume, it is clear that German travel enthusiasts extraordinarily enjoy spending their vacations at the sea or at a lake. The undisputed leader is the Baltic Sea. With an average search volume of 272,050, the Baltic Sea even far surpasses Lake Constance (avg. SV: 191,658) and the North Sea (avg. SV: 152,523).

Germany not only offers exciting metropolises, romantic little towns, and majestic mountains but also beautiful idyllic islands. And island vacations are booming! Looking at the average search volume, Sylt and Rügen are the most sought-after favorite islands of the Germans.

There were on average 81,713 searches for a vacation on Sylt and 79,388 for Rügen from June to September 2021. With 66,173 searches, Usedom was also very much in trend again. The demand for Usedom even increased by 9.47%. However, there is one North Sea island where demand has risen even more, by 25.43%: Helgoland.

'You are so wonderful, Berlin.' The German capital is popular not only among international guests but also among German tourists. And not only that: The demand for a capital city vacation increases every year. From 2020 to 2021, it rose even by a remarkable 18.28%. City trips are generally becoming popular again, and with an average search volume of 136,925, Berlin is also the absolute favorite city on an international scale.

While Helgoland, Berlin, and East Friesland are becoming increasingly sought after, there are also regions in Germany where the situation is unfortunately quite different. The devastating flood disaster in summer 2021 destroyed whole regions and towns, which significantly affected tourism there.

The Eifel and Moselle regions were particularly hard hit, which is also reflected in the demand and search volume for vacations in the region. The Eifel lost 42.07% and the Moselle region saw a decrease of 24.99% in demand during the summer months. The Saxon Switzerland region also struggled with flooding, resulting in a drop in demand of 36.69%. We can only hope that the regions and their residents recover soon and that tourism picks up again!

Even though Germany is so beautiful, many travelers continue to have a great desire to travel abroad and still prefer to vacation overseas. But which countries were particularly popular last summer?

The clear favorite of the Germans is Italy. The beautiful country with its picturesque cities and Mediterranean climate has always been very popular, but last year it gained even more traction. There were an average of 434,020 searches related to vacations in Italy - more than for any other country besides Germany. Compared to the previous year, demand for vacations in bella Italia increased by an incredible 80.29%.

A further vacation destination that was also very popular in summer 2021 is Croatia. With an average of 246,688 search queries during the summer months, this beautiful country in southern Europe is clearly one of the favorites of the Germans after Germany and Italy.

No wonder when considering the enchanting national parks, romantic cities like Dubrovnik, which will certainly be a real highlight for Game of Thrones fans, and all the beautiful beaches! Demand has also slightly increased: there were 5.49% more vacation-related searches regarding Croatia.

Looking at the search volume, there is another country that stands out with a search volume of 212,973: the Netherlands. However, the charming neighboring country is one of the losers of the vacation season in 2021. The demand for vacations in the Netherlands has decreased by 25.17%.

The interest in vacations in some countries has decreased for some compared to the previous year. In some cases, such as Austria (-1.21%), Slovakia (-3.81%), and Denmark (-6.26%), the decline in demand was only slight. In contrast, others have seen a significant drop. The clear losers include Sweden, the Netherlands, and Switzerland with decreases of 26.35%, 25.17%, and 12%.

In addition to vacations in their own country, travel enthusiasts are increasingly drawn to the beautiful European countries.

The non-German region that had by far the highest demand is Lake Garda, with an average search volume of 139,403 during the summer months of 2021. Thus, the demand for a vacation at Lake Garda increased by 64.17%. Three other regions in Italy can even show a significantly higher increase in vacation-related search queries: Tuscany (+84.11%), the Italian island of Sardinia (+97.41%), and the Elba archipelago (+155.17%).

A vacation region that really doesn't have to hide behind the Italians is the Croatian Istria. Here, too, interest in a vacation locally has risen immensely. With an increase of 98.57%, the largest peninsula in the Adriatic has recorded the second-largest rise in vacation searches.

Sun, beach, and sea or a thrilling city trip? Interest in city trips clearly increased last summer, with a rise of 34.59%. This is partly due to more people being vaccinated against the coronavirus, making them feel more comfortable in city centers again.

Copenhagen and Oslo particularly enjoyed popularity. The only city to see a greater increase in average search volume is Paris: With an average of 63,068 searches from June to September 2021, this represents an increase of 78.46% compared to 2020.

However, not all well-known vacation cities managed to attract significantly more German tourists again. One of the clear losers is The Hague in the Netherlands. In 2020, it had an average of 35,685 searches, dropping by a full 35.63% to just 22,970 in 2021. This may be related to the severe protests against COVID measures and the often-changing COVID restrictions in the Netherlands.

In selecting the suitable accommodation, the trend among German travelers has changed significantly. In summer 2020, travelers increasingly searched for vacation homes and houseboats. With the reopening of hotels, inquiries for these have significantly surged. In summer 2021, there were on average 7,783,468 searches related to vacations and hotels, which is 60.80% more than the previous year. This clearly shows that German vacationers simply love and appreciate the comfort of a hotel vacation.

Anyone who bought a houseboat thinking they could rent it out all summer 2021 may have made a poor investment. Unfortunately, houseboats have turned out to be a one-summer wonder: the demand for vacations on houseboats has decreased by 27.33%. Vacation homes and camping remain popular, but a significant increase cannot be noted.

Tastes and travel types vary, but thanks to our analysis, it is clear which types of vacations are currently preferred by German travelers.

Due to this special current situation, a large number of Germans are searching for great last-minute offers and tend to travel at shorter notice. Compared to June to September 2020, demand for last-minute trips in summer 2021 increased by 411.77%.

Thanks to the easing of restrictions across Europe during the summer, it again became possible to undertake numerous activities on vacation. These include exciting days at amusement parks, relaxing wellness moments, or extensive museum visits. All these activities are only possible with restrictions, but they are still well received by travelers.

This is also reflected in the increasing demand for individual activities. Compared to the summer months of the previous year, the number of Google searches related to vacation and wellness rose by 42.37%, city trips by 34.59%, interest in attractions increased by 56.71%, and demand for amusement parks rose by 31.04%. It is clear that Germans yearn for experiences, and it should definitely not get boring during vacation!

The comprehensive vacation check clearly shows that the desire and need to travel is growing again. However, the preferences of the Germans have changed: a hotel is now preferred over a houseboat, vacations are primarily booked last minute, and interest in attractions and city trips has significantly increased again.

Germany remains the favorite travel destination for Germans. When it comes to foreign travel, bella Italia is the absolute favorite. Based on the steadily rising search queries for vacations in Sardinia, Elba, Tuscany, and the picturesque Lake Garda, it can be assumed that Italy will be exceedingly popular again this year. This could also apply to France, Croatia, and Slovenia.

If the Germans' dream vacation in summer 2022 looks similar to the previous year, with no unexpected new restrictions or natural disasters, it would best be described as: a last-minute stay at a beautiful hotel by the sea, whether Mediterranean, North Sea, or Baltic Sea, please!