Greece among the “queens” of the German summer

Spain, Turkey and Greece monopolize for another season the interest of most German tourists who will travel with holiday packages. German travelers, although they do not intend to miss the opportunity of their vacations because of the challenges, are increasingly turning to more economical destinations such as Bulgaria, Tunisia, Egypt and Albania.

This is according to the preliminary assessment for this year’s summer travel season, compiled by the German Travel Association (DRV), which represents organized tourism, in collaboration with Travel Data + Analytics TDA and tourism industry experts.

DRV estimates a 3% increase in sales of organized package holidays through tour operators for the summer of 2025 (April to October), and a 2% decrease in self-organized trips by car, train or bus. Therefore, the market is expected to close with a 1% increase for the summer compared to last year, if demand for both types of holidays is combined. The number of travelers is expected to decrease by 2%, especially for holidays by car, train or bus.

Last-minute bookings for Turkey, Egypt, Balearic Islands and Greece

Demand remains high for holidays this summer, with Eastern Mediterranean countries, cruises and long-haul trips showing an increase. The highest sales growth for the summer season is expected to be in cruises (+6%), long-haul holidays (+6%) and trips to Eastern Mediterranean countries (+5%).

However, another feature of this year, in terms of travel during the summer season, is the demand for last-minute bookings, which concerns most popular medium-haul destinations such as Turkey, Egypt, the Balearic Islands and Greece. Although pre-bookings started very early this year, the last-minute booking market appears to have strengthened significantly in recent weeks.

+9% revenue from bookings for summer packages in Greece and Turkey in winter

For the entire tourist year 2024/25 (including the full winter season from November 1, 2024 to April 30, 2025), a corresponding trend is recorded for summer travel: According to the forecast, revenue in the tour operator market will increase by 4%. Package flights to medium-haul destinations in the eastern Mediterranean, such as Greece and Turkey, will see revenue growth of 9%, and cruises +8%.

Overland travel by car, bus or train - which is traditionally mostly self-organised - is also expected to decline for the year as a whole, with revenue forecast to fall by 2%. Overall, the market for package holidays will continue to outpace the market for individual travel arrangements throughout the tourist year.