Germany
country profile
Germany is Europe’s largest outbound travel market. It is a key target market for the tourism sector in Azerbaijan and currently ATB is working on increasing the number of leisure and business travellers.
Significance for Azerbaijan
Germans appreciate Azerbaijan’s culture, wild nature, hospitality and cuisine. They can directly fly from Berlin twice a week via AZAL and Frankfurt 4 times a week via Lufthansa.
Main holiday periods:
End of March – Early April – Easter time
May – 1, 9, 19, 20, 30 bank holidays in different states
July – August – The summer period
Christmas – New Year – End of December
The German guest
Germans are particularly motivated by a desire to experience nature. They enjoy beautiful scenery and wildlife, and going to the beach is a popular activity. They also like to stay active – walking/hiking and cycling are important pastimes. Culture is important to them as well, and visiting cities, shopping and enjoying local food and wine are key activities that appeal to German tourists.
Most Germans travel with a partner or friends.
Germans like to travel to a variety of destinations, both domestically (27% of all trips) and internationally (73%). Europe is the top destination for German tourists (57%); long-haul destinations account for just 6%. Turkey was the most popular developing destination for German tourists.
In 2022, Germany’s outbound tourism market was valued at US$95.3 billion, and it is projected to grow to US$241.4 billion by 2032.
Like many Europeans, German tourists care about sustainability, and they are increasingly looking to minimise their travel impact. Research conducted by the EU found that amongst German tourists:
German travel behaviour:
Planning and purchasing:
Average spending per trip also increased, from €1,032 in 2019 to €1,194 in 2022. German tourists spent more than one third of their budget on accommodation (35.6%), more than any of the other source markets. This was followed by flights and other transport (23.9%).
Germans like to book package holidays, more than other European tourists. In the past, they preferred to book directly with travel agents. However, they are increasingly booking their holidays online (49.6%, an increase of 5.6% percentage points). At the same time, face-to-face bookings are falling (36.1%, a decrease of 2.9% percentage points).
Travel decision-making:
Germans usually book their vacations 6 months before the holiday and booking holidays via travel agencies is still the preferred method for this nation. Some bookings are made directly via accommodation providers. The situation in summer 2023 was somewhat different. Many bookings were made short-term, often only 14 days in advance. He feels it is partly due to rising prices in Europe. Guests want to wait to see how they develop and only then "decide if they go on vacation at all."
Distribution system:
Well-known providers of package holidays are online travel agencies (OTAs) such as Expedia and Opodo and tour operators such as TUI. Specialized providers of hotels and private accommodation booked online are, for example, Hotels.com, Booking.com, and Airbnb.
bahn.de ranked number 1 and is the most visited Travel and Tourism website in Germany in December 2023, followed by booking.com as the runner up, and tripadvisor.de ranking at 3rd place as the leaders of the Travel and Tourism websites in Germany.
There were 2719 Tour operators in Germany in 2023 according IBISworld research.
Leading companies in the Germany outbound tourism market
Travel duration: In 2023, the average duration of the main vacation among Germans was around 12 days.
Information sources: Social Media – Instagram and Facebook for Millennials and Gen Z, friends’ recommendations – WOM, social networks.
High internet usage: Figures published in Meta’s own tools indicate that Facebook’s potential ad reach in Germany decreased by 1.3 million (-4.9 percent) between 2022 and 2023 and Instagram had 27.45 million users in 2023 Updates to Google’s advertising resources indicate that YouTube had 70.90 million users in Germany in early 2023. TikTok had 20.65 million users aged 18 and above in Germany in early 2023. TikTok ads reached 29.7 percent of all adults aged 18 and above in Germany at the start of 2023.
Main holiday interests: Nature holidays: sun and beach, tours and extended stays in one place; round trips: beach vacations, food and wine, city, sport and adventure, history and culture, natural beauty and wildlife.
Special interest:
Activities: Sightseeing, culture, hiking, spending time at the beach, food and wine tasting.
Preferences for destination choice: Safety and security, value for money, world-class nature and landscapes, and climate are the main concerns for German travellers.
Most visited places in Azerbaijan Baku, the Absheron Peninsula, Sheki.
German outbound tourism forecast:
In Germany, the Travel & Tourism market is expected to witness a rise in revenue, with projections indicating US$67.57bn in 2024.
The Package Holidays market is the largest in this industry and is projected to generate revenue worth US$41.35bn in 2024.
Germany's tourism industry is shifting towards sustainable and eco-friendly options, with an emphasis on nature and wellness experiences.
Top tips for German market:
Below arrival statistics are shown from Germany to Azerbaijan for the last 5 years.
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
17164 |
20494 |
3529 |
5905 |
14426 |
19174 |
Contact person:
Khadija Nasirova
Head of EMEA Region