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Beach in Mallorca in summer 2023

Photo: Chris Emil Janßen / IMAGO

The corona crisis is also over for the travel industry in Germany – it will record revenues this year. In the 2022/23 tourism year, which ends on 31 October, revenue from tour operator trips was already seven per cent above the record end level of the 2018/2019 travel year at the end of August, according to data from the analysis firm TDA. This was mainly due to the summer season, which has seen an increase in sales of eleven percent so far. The last winter travel business recorded a minus of four percent due to the pandemic.

"It is the first travel season since Corona that will end with a positive sales balance," said Norbert Fiebig, the president of the German Travel Association (DRV), who announced the figures. And the trend continues: According to the data, holiday spending and prices have risen by 2018 percent in the upcoming winter to winter 19/27 alone.

However, the significant increase in revenue is due to higher prices and higher spending by holidaymakers – and fewer of them. So far, 16 percent fewer holidaymakers have booked than in the pre-corona year 2018/19. There are "a considerable number of people in this country who can no longer or do not want to afford an organized tour operator trip at the moment," said Fiebig, referring to the high inflation. (Here you can read the SPIEGEL cover story on the sharp rise in prices on vacation.)

"Politicians must fight inflation and provide relief," warned Fiebig. "It's about people having more money in their pockets for consumption. Holidays must also remain affordable for average earners."

In the summer, classic destinations around the Mediterranean were particularly in demand. Spain, Turkey and Greece were the top three flight package destinations, despite heat waves and sometimes devastating forest fires, such as in Greece. Long-distance travel, which was hardly possible during the pandemic, was more popular again, but still fell short of pre-Corona levels. According to the data, cruises achieved almost the revenue level of summer 2019. For the coming winter, in addition to long-distance travel, cruises on the world's oceans are particularly in demand for the DRV.

fdi/dpa