Market Update - 13.08.2026

CURRENT MAJOR TOPICS WITHIN THE TOURISM INDUSTRY IN THE DACH REGION

Beach holidays remain Germans’ summer favorite: Despite growing attention around the Coolcation trend, German travelers continue to favor sunny beach destinations for their summer holidays. According to lastminute.com booking data, bookings for cooler destinations have actually declined by 15.9% over the past three years, while destinations such as Albania, Tunisia, Morocco, Bulgaria, Montenegro and Hungary recorded particularly strong growth. The Costa Blanca, Corfu, Athens, Zakynthos and Mykonos also saw significant increases. At the same time, demand is shifting toward the earlier summer, with June becoming more popular than August. Heatwaves can influence booking behavior in the short term, however, as demand for cooler destinations increased noticeably during Germany’s 2026 heatwave. Overall, classic Mediterranean beach holidays remain the dominant choice, particularly among families, while Coolcations remain a niche segment. Read more.

Holiday Inspires Germans to Make Changes: A new HolidayCheck study shows that holidays can have a lasting impact on how Germans view their everyday lives, with 75 percent saying they return from a trip wanting to change something. Among those with specific intentions, 86 percent have concrete plans, most commonly involving more time for themselves, greater relaxation and a calmer work life. The effect is particularly strong among younger travellers, with many using their time away from everyday routines to reflect on their priorities. Overall, 95 percent of respondents say they bring positive effects home from their holiday, including more energy, inner calm and a better mood. However, only 12 percent manage to fully put their intentions into practice, as familiar routines often take over again after returning home. Read more.

Travelers want sustainability without sacrificing their holidays: Sustainability is becoming more important to German travelers, but increasingly without requiring them to give up their preferred travel experiences. According to YouGov’s Mobility Monitor, the share of travelers willing to spend more on environmentally friendly transport or sustainable offerings at their destination rose from 24% to 31% in 2025. At the same time, fewer travelers actively avoid flying or cruises for environmental reasons. Awareness of sustainability labels and certifications also increased, from 25% to 28%, while willingness to voluntarily offset CO₂ emissions rose slightly from 8% to 10%. Sustainable behavior is particularly common at the destination itself: 59% deliberately choose locally run restaurants, accommodations or shops, 54% buy local products and 68% forgo daily hotel room cleaning. The trend is especially pronounced among younger women. Read more.

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CURRENT TOPICS WITHIN THE TRANSPORTATION INDUSTRY IN GERMANY & EUROPE

Airlines continue to raise ticket prices: Airlines are continuing to pass higher fuel costs on to passengers, with Economy Class fares rising particularly sharply on European and transatlantic routes. According to Cirium data analyzed by Handelsblatt, average Economy fares on European routes operated by Ryanair, EasyJet and Wizz Air increased by 15.4% between February and May, reaching around $84.37. Compared with May 2025, prices were up 39.2%. Network carriers Lufthansa, IAG and Air France-KLM also raised European fares, while transatlantic Economy tickets became around 20% more expensive compared with the period before the Iran conflict. At the same time, airlines are reducing capacity on selected routes to support higher yields, with Lufthansa, for example, cutting North American capacity by 5.3% in the second quarter while increasing average revenues by 1.7%. Read more.

Eurowings increases load factor as higher costs weigh on results: Eurowings carried more than 10 million passengers in the first half of 2026, with its load factor rising to 85.3%. The airline operated around 75,000 flights to more than 150 destinations and achieved an on-time performance of almost 99%, despite weather-related disruptions, strikes and adjustments caused by the conflict in the Middle East. However, the Lufthansa Group’s Point-to-Point segment, which includes Eurowings and its stake in Sun Express, recorded an adjusted EBIT of minus €252 million. Higher fuel costs, as well as increased taxes and fees at German airports, put pressure on earnings. Demand strengthened particularly in the second quarter, with destinations in the western Mediterranean, including Mallorca, proving popular. Eurowings is also expanding its Berlin offering, connecting the airport with around 50 destinations in summer 2026, including London, Lisbon and Sarajevo, with Rome to follow in November. Read more.

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DESTINATION NEWS

TURKEY: Turkey sees more visitors from Germany despite regional crises: Turkey welcomed 25.8 million international visitors in the first half of 2026, slightly below the 26.4 million recorded during the same period last year, while tourism revenues remained stable at $25.8 billion. Regional tensions and disruptions to airspace in the Middle East affected demand, although Turkey itself remained operationally unaffected. Germany continued to rank as the country’s second-largest source market, with arrivals increasing slightly from 2.42 million to 2.44 million. At the same time, travelers stayed longer and spent more, with the average length of stay rising to 10.01 nights and spending per night increasing by 2.6% to $109. The Turkish tourism minister remains optimistic about the second half of the year, expecting demand and tourism revenues to improve further. Read more.

BALEARIC ISLANDS: Balearic Islands head toward new tourism record with around 20 million visitors: The Balearic Islands are heading for another record year, with 8.12 million international visitors arriving in the first half of 2026 – 2.3% more than in the same period last year. If the trend continues, the islands could reach or surpass 20 million visitors this year, following 19.3 million in 2025. Tourism revenues are growing even faster, rising 4.52% to €8.16 billion, while average daily spending reached €217 per visitor. At the same time, the average length of stay fell by 2.19% to 5.7 days, meaning more visitors but relatively stable overnight stays. Germany remains the Balearics’ largest source market, although arrivals declined slightly, while the UK recorded strong growth and is becoming increasingly important. Read more.

TAIWAN: Taiwan seeks to transform its tourism industry: Taiwan has established the Taiwan Tourism Institute (TTI), a semi-official tourism think tank intended to provide research and expertise for the sustainable transformation of the industry. The government aims to turn tourism into a trillion-dollar industry by 2030 and attract 10 million international visitors annually, compared with 8.57 million in 2025. To strengthen inbound tourism, Taiwan plans to offer returning international visitors incentives of up to around CHF 150, plus an additional CHF 100 if they bring a companion, although the scheme has not yet come into force. The strategy also aims to encourage repeat visitors to explore destinations beyond the established tourist hotspots, helping to spread tourism more evenly and support local businesses and communities. Taipei is nevertheless expected to remain the country’s main gateway. Read more.

BRAZIL: Brazil sees strong growth in business travel: Brazil is set to record the strongest growth in business travel spending among the world’s 15 leading markets in 2026. According to the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), spending on business travel in Brazil is expected to rise by 13.8% to $35.8 billion, placing the country tenth worldwide in absolute spending. Globally, business travel expenditure is forecast to reach $1.71 trillion this year, up 7.2% from 2025, with Latin America benefiting from growth in the energy sector and greater political stability. Brazil’s broader tourism figures also point to strong momentum: international visitors generated $5.6 billion in revenue during the first half of 2026, an increase of more than 12% year on year, while the country recorded 5.2 million international arrivals – its second-best first-half result to date. Read more.

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