Market Update - 24.09.2026

‍CURRENT MAJOR TOPICS WITHIN THE TOURISM INDUSTRY IN THE DACH REGION

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Austrians Take Fewer Holiday Trips in the First Half of 2026: The number of holiday trips taken by people living in Austria fell by 1.7 percent year on year to 11.6 million in the first half of 2026, marking the second consecutive decline after a record high in 2024. Both domestic and international holidays decreased, while the average trip length also shortened from 4.7 to 4.5 days. Italy was the most popular foreign destination, followed by Germany, Croatia, Spain and Hungary, while Styria, Salzburg and Upper Austria led domestic travel. Long haul trips increased slightly, accounting for 9.2 percent of all trips compared with 9 percent a year earlier. By contrast, business travel grew 4.5 percent to 1.8 million trips, with international business travel rising particularly strongly. Cars remained the main mode of transport, used for 58.3 percent of holiday trips. Read more.

Global Tourism Growth Remains Slow, but Several Destinations Surge: International tourist arrivals increased by just 0.4 percent worldwide in the first half of 2026, with Europe performing better at three percent growth and around 350 million international visitors. Southern and Central Eastern Europe each grew by four percent, while Northern Europe rose three percent and Western Europe declined one percent, partly due to June heatwaves and weaker overseas demand. Moldova recorded Europe’s strongest growth with a 25 percent increase, followed by Greece and Ireland at 15 percent each. Outside Europe, El Salvador led with 37 percent growth, followed by Paraguay at 34 percent and Bhutan at 31 percent. In contrast, international arrivals to the Middle East fell 22 percent, while South Asia declined five percent and Southeast Asia one percent, with the Middle East conflict shifting some demand toward closer destinations. UN Tourism has lowered its full year growth forecast to one to two percent, down from its previous estimate of three to four percent. Read more.

German Travelers Book Autumn Holidays at Short Notice: Autumn holidays are increasingly being booked spontaneously in Germany, with one in three bookings on Ferienwohnungen.de made no more than three weeks before arrival. Fourteen percent are even booked within the final week, particularly when the destination is within Germany. North Rhine Westphalia has the highest share of last minute bookings at 38 percent, followed by Thuringia at 37 percent, while Bavaria records the lowest share at 29 percent. In Bavaria, more than half of travelers book more than six weeks in advance, highlighting significant regional differences in booking behavior. The Baltic and North Sea coasts remain the most popular domestic destinations, alongside Bavaria, the Black Forest, Lake Constance, the Allgäu and the Bavarian Forest. Read more.

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CURRENT TOPICS WITHIN THE TRANSPORTATION INDUSTRY IN GERMANY & EUROPE

Condor Expands Its European City Network from Frankfurt: Condor is continuing to develop its European feeder network around its Frankfurt hub, with three new destinations planned for summer 2027. From April 28, the airline will connect Frankfurt with Athens once daily, followed by Florence from May 6 with two daily flights during the summer season. Stockholm will join the network from May 13 and will be served twice daily year round. The additions will bring Condor’s European city network to 16 destinations and strengthen connections to its long haul services from Frankfurt. The expansion is part of the airline’s broader strategy to evolve from a traditional leisure carrier into a network airline. Read more.

Singapore Airlines Named World’s Best Airline for 2026: Singapore Airlines has been ranked the world’s best airline for 2026 by Skytrax, with its customer service, onboard dining and entertainment among the factors highlighted in the ranking. Qatar Airways took second place, followed by Cathay Pacific, ANA All Nippon Airways and Turkish Airlines. The Skytrax ranking is based on a large global passenger survey covering around 24.8 million travelers from more than 100 countries, with airlines evaluated on service quality, cabin crew, food and seat comfort. Emirates, Air France, Hainan Airlines, Japan Airlines and Korean Air completed the top ten. Lufthansa ranked 14th, while Swiss International Air Lines came 19th and Thai Airways 20th. Singapore Airlines operates more than 110 destinations with a fleet of over 180 aircraft together with its low cost subsidiary Scoot. Read more.

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DESTINATION NEWS

SAINT LUCIA: Saint Lucia Expands Trade Activities in the DACH Market: Saint Lucia is strengthening its sales and trade activities in the German speaking market as visitor numbers from Germany, Austria and Switzerland increased by 12.7 percent through June 2026. The Saint Lucia Tourism Authority will host a three city roadshow with British Airways and hotel partners in Frankfurt on October 27, Munich on October 28 and Zurich on October 29, focusing on travel opportunities, tourism updates and flight connections. The program will also include networking with partners, Caribbean inspired food and drinks and a prize draw. Further activities include German language webinars on romance, wellness and sustainability, as well as participation in the Caribbean luxury roadshow and Loop Wellbeing. Overall, Saint Lucia welcomed around 722,000 visitors across all segments from January to July, six percent more than in the previous year. Read more.

PORTUGAL: Formula 1 Returns to the Algarve in 2027: After a six year break, the Formula 1 Portuguese Grand Prix will return to the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimão from June 18 to 20, 2027, with a second edition already planned for 2028. The Algarve tourism sector expects the event to attract hundreds of thousands of visitors and generate an estimated economic impact of around €150 million, benefiting hotels, restaurants, transport providers, retail and other local businesses. Portugal’s tourism authorities also see the race as an opportunity to increase the country’s international visibility and promote the Algarve as a year round destination. Organizers are encouraging visitors to extend their stay beyond the race weekend and combine the event with the region’s beaches, gastronomy and culture. Ticket sales for the 2027 race began on September 21. Read more.

CANARY ISLANDS: Canary Islands Face Mixed Outlook for the Winter Season: The Canary Islands remain an important winter destination for German travelers, but the market is facing a mix of strong demand, increased capacity and higher fuel costs. Cruise operators including Aida, TUI Cruises and Costa are shifting additional ships to the islands after suspending their Gulf programs, with several large vessels increasing overall capacity. Tour operators are also reporting positive or stable bookings, with TUI, Alltours and Anex recording growth compared with the previous year, although bookings are increasingly being made at shorter notice. At the same time, German arrivals to the Canary Islands fell 3.5 percent in the first half of 2026 to around 1.4 million. Higher prices are another challenge, particularly as airlines face rising kerosene costs. TUIfly will operate more than 140 weekly flights to the islands during winter 2026/27, accounting for around half of its total winter capacity from Germany.  Read more.

ESTONIA: Estonia Positions Itself as a MICE Destination: Estonia is increasingly promoting itself as a destination for international meetings, congresses and incentive trips, combining digital innovation with distinctive venues and accessible nature experiences. Tallinn, Tartu and Pärnu offer modern hotels and conference facilities, while direct connections from several German cities make the country relatively easy to reach. Estonia’s strong digital infrastructure is a key selling point, with the E Estonia Briefing Centre offering insights into e government, digital transformation and artificial intelligence. At the same time, forests, coastlines and peatlands are often close to meeting locations, allowing activities such as guided bog walks, nature picnics and sauna visits to be integrated into event programs. Unique venues include Kultuurikatel, the Seaplane Harbour and the Proto Invention Factory, while the Kadriorg Palace provides a historic setting for formal events. Winter incentives such as Christmas markets, ice swimming and dog sledding further expand the offer. Read more.

GREECE: Greece Maintains Strong Tourism Demand from Germany: Greece welcomed 20 million international visitors between January and July 2026, an increase of 8.6 percent compared with the previous year. Although total arrivals fell 3.1 percent in July, international air arrivals, which are more relevant for tourism, still increased by 3.5 percent. Germany remained Greece’s largest source market, with 3.0 million visitors, up 7.7 percent year on year, ahead of the UK with 2.6 million visitors. Tourism revenues grew even faster than arrivals, rising 12 percent to €13.5 billion in the first seven months. However, German visitors generated slightly lower revenues, down 0.7 percent to just under €2 billion, while the UK became the largest market by tourism spending with €2.1 billion. Read more.

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