After pandemic
Survey: wanderlust in Germany is increasing again
Almost half of the people have already traveled this year, according to a survey. Photo: Monika Skolimowska / dpa-Zentralbild / dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
Many Germans again feel the need to escape everyday life with vacation trips. Few of them are afraid of a corona infection. The biggest obstacle to travel: money.
After a year and a half of the pandemic, the desire to travel in Germany is increasing again. Almost half of the people (44 percent) have already traveled this year, according to a survey by the management consultancy PwC Germany. A good third (34 percent) are planning this for the next six months.
«After 18 exhausting months of the pandemic, Germans feel the need to escape from everyday life. For many people, this includes vacation trips at home and abroad, ”said PwC expert Ingo Bauer, summarizing the results of the study. The fear of Covid-19 is slowly receding into the background. “More and more people are planning their vacation independently.”
Most of them feel safe
Around 90 percent of those surveyed who were already on vacation in 2021 stated that they tended to feel safe both on the outward and return journey and in their accommodation at the holiday destination and wanted to travel again. Around 60 percent described their vacation experience as surprisingly straightforward. This was true both for holidaymakers in Germany and for travelers whose trips led abroad.
The positive experiences had an effect, emphasized Bauer. Package tours to other European countries in particular have become more attractive again in the eyes of the people. Two thirds of those surveyed could imagine such a trip in the next six months, 11 percentage points more than in the spring.
When it comes to the choice of accommodation, the hotel has moved back to the top. It is now an option again for 77 percent of travelers, an increase of 6 percentage points compared to the spring. On the other hand, interest in holiday apartments declined slightly. There has been a significant increase in the willingness to return by plane or train instead of using your own car.
Financial hurdles
However, the pandemic fears have not yet been completely overcome. Around two out of three respondents would still tend to cancel their trip if they had to be quarantined on their return to Germany or if they found excessive restrictions at their destination.
The most common reason not to book a trip in the next six months, however, is not fear of being infected with the coronavirus. It has decreased significantly. There are still possible restrictions at the vacation spot. It’s the finances: 44 percent of those surveyed said they couldn’t afford a vacation trip. In the same survey in April 2021, only 31 percent named financial hurdles as travel obstacles.