Germany saw a significant increase in international travel in 2022 compared to the previous year, with a rise of 78%. However, the number of trips abroad was still 13% lower than before the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings were reported by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) in a press release.
Italy, Austria, and Spain emerged as the most popular destinations for German travelers. In contrast, business travel experienced a decline of over a quarter compared to pre-pandemic levels. Furthermore, the use of cars for multi-day trips decreased in 2022 compared to the pandemic year of 2021. However, the share of air travel nearly returned to pre-crisis levels.
Overall, in 2022, German travelers undertook a total of 222 million private and business trips with at least one overnight stay, both domestically and internationally. This marked a 24% increase from the heavily pandemic-affected year of 2021. Nevertheless, it still represented a 15% decrease compared to the pre-crisis year of 2019. The surge in international travel indicated that individuals were eager to resume traveling abroad as the pandemic situation improved. However, the number of international trips remained 13% lower than in 2019. Domestic travel, on the other hand, increased by 4% in 2022 compared to 2021, reaching 135 million trips, but remained 16% below pre-pandemic levels.
The distribution of travel destinations between domestic and international locations returned to pre-crisis patterns. In 2022, 39% of trips were to foreign destinations, compared to 38% in 2019. During the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, the share of international travel had dropped to 25% and 27%, respectively, as travel activities shifted towards domestic destinations.
Italy, Austria, Spain, France, and the Netherlands emerged as the top five foreign destinations for German travelers in 2022. These countries maintained their popularity throughout the pandemic and afterward.
Analyzing the purpose of travel, the year 2022 saw approximately 192 million private trips, a 22% increase compared to 2021, but still 13% below the pre-crisis level of 2019. In contrast, business trips experienced a more significant surge, rising by 39% to reach 30 million trips in 2022 compared to the previous year. However, the number of business trips remained 27% lower than in 2019, suggesting that virtual meetings and remote work continued to impact travel patterns in the post-pandemic era.
Regarding transportation modes, while cars remained the most commonly used mode of travel in 2022, they were less frequently utilized for multi-day trips compared to the pandemic year of 2021. The use of cars accounted for 61% of trips with at least one overnight stay, down from 69% in 2021. Conversely, air travel experienced a rebound, with its share increasing from 9% in 2021 to 15% in 2022, approaching pre-pandemic levels (17% in 2019). Train travel remained steady at 17% in 2022, similar to both 2019 (16%) and 2021 (17%). Other modes of transportation, such as ships and buses, accounted for 7% of travel, maintaining a consistent share compared to previous years.
As travel volumes increased, so did travel expenses in 2022. Expenditures on transportation rose by 85% compared to the previous year, amounting to €42 billion. However, this figure still represented a 14% decline from 2019. Accommodation expenses totaled €60 billion in 2022, reflecting a 73% increase from the previous year and a 1% rise compared to 2019, potentially due to inflation. Spending on food and beverages in cafes and restaurants reached €28 billion, indicating a 64% growth from the previous year but a 5% decrease from 2019.
These findings shed light on the evolving travel behaviors and spending habits of German travelers, highlighting the impact of the pandemic and the subsequent recovery in the tourism sector.
https://www.destatis.de/DE/Presse/Pressemitteilungen/2023/07/PD23_279_45.html