As of: February 20, 2024, 8:02 a.m
By: Franziska Kaindl
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Press
Split
Thanks to its good price-performance ratio, Turkey has been considered a top travel destination for Germans for years.
Now the cold north of Europe is giving her competition.
When you think about vacation, you usually picture beautiful beaches, azure water and lots of sun.
This is also reflected in the bookings every year, as Mediterranean destinations are always at the top of the list for Germans.
This will also be evident in 2024, as many holidaymakers are heading towards Turkey and Greece again, as the
German Travel Association (DRV)
informs.
There are also the Spanish archipelagos of the Balearic and Canary Islands as well as mainland Spain.
However, German travelers now seem to no longer just focus on warm holiday destinations.
Fjords and forests instead of beaches and sunshine: Türkiye is being overtaken by Scandinavia
Scandinavia overtook Turkey as the most popular European holiday destination last year, according to the latest tourism analysis by the
BAT Foundation for Future Issues
.
It is based on a representative survey of 3,000 people aged 18 and over from Germany about their travel behavior in 2023. Around 4.8 percent of those surveyed stated that they spent their main vacation in Norway, Sweden, Finland or Denmark.
The Nordic countries are now in third place among the top travel destinations - just after the classics Spain (9.1 percent) and Italy (7 percent).
Turkey, however, was relegated to fourth place (4.6 percent) compared to the previous year.
Greece also recorded a decline at 2.9 percent instead of 4.2 percent.
Holidays in the wild north of Europe seem to be inspiring more and more German holidaymakers.
© Sergi Reboredo/Imago
“Many travelers associate the Nordic countries with nature, safety, high quality standards, atmosphere and great hospitality,” says Prof. Ulrich Reinhardt, scientific director of the
BAT Foundation for Future Questions
.
According to him, the possibility of traveling by car may also play a role.
According to Reinhardt, the fact that vacation enjoyment in Turkish and Greek travel regions has decreased is due to the increased local costs.
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Scandinavia could also be one of the top travel destinations in 2024
An outlook for the travel year 2024 shows that Scandinavia as the new top destination is here to stay.
In the tourism analysis by the
Foundation for Future Questions
, 3.8 percent of those surveyed said they were planning a trip to the Nordic countries.
This once again puts the country in third place among European travel destinations, behind the leaders Spain and Italy and ahead of Turkey in fourth place.
However, the homeland is even ahead of the foreign holiday destinations: 28.2 percent of those surveyed want to spend their holiday in Germany in 2024.
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Incidentally, the tourism analysis also showed that German holidaymakers spent more money on travel last year than ever before.
Is vacationing in Scandinavia still so expensive?
The Scandinavian countries are considered expensive holiday destinations within Europe.
However, a look at the price levels in the countries shows that holidays in Norway, for example, have become somewhat cheaper in recent years.
According to the Federal Statistical Office, in January 2019 the price level for restaurant and hotel services was 45.9 percent higher than in Germany - in March 2023, however, it was "only" 40.8 percent.
Denmark, on the other hand, has become more expensive: the price level has risen from 33.4 percent to 44.1 percent compared to Germany.