Italy and Austria were the most popular foreign destinations for travelers from Germany last year. As in 2021, the two countries were at the top of foreign travel destinations ahead of Spain and France, as reported by the Federal Statistical Office on Monday. However, the vast majority of holiday and business trips continued to be made within Germany, with a share of 61 percent.
After the Corona crisis was overcome, statisticians observed certain catch-up effects. People went abroad more often again and were more likely to use the plane again, which had been avoided during the pandemic. The total number of 222 million trips exceeded the previous year’s figure by 24 percent, but was still 15 percent below the pre-crisis figure from 2019.
Business trips in particular have not yet resumed to the extent that was common before the pandemic. Travel has also become more expensive. This was most noticeable in 2022 in spending on accommodation, which, at around 60 billion euros, was already 1 percent higher than in 2019, despite the 15 percent lower number of trips. Expenditure on food and drinks in cafés and restaurants remained 5 percent below the value of 2019. Transport costs remained comparatively stable.