Modern tourism owes its widespread popularity primarily to motorization. When the car was born as a means of individual transportation more than a century ago, people's lifestyles also changed. The need for mobility resulted in mass motorization and mass tourism. Holiday mobility also meant car ownership. As early as 1954, 19 percent of travelers went on vacation in their own cars; by 1976, this figure had more than tripled (641). However, since then, the use of cars for vacations has steadily declined (1985: 601 – 1993: 291), while air travel simultaneously began its rise. Now, for the first time, a shift in mobility patterns within tourism is emerging. Vacationers' fears of terrorist attacks, coupled with economic problems, are driving a psychologically and economically motivated trend reversal: the car is making a comeback as a vacation vehicle (1993: 291 – 2004: 361). This is the result of a representative survey conducted by the BAT Leisure Research Institute, in which 2,000 people aged 14 and over were asked about their travel behavior.

“Car tourism, as a symbol of spontaneous and individual travel that is affordable and guarantees freedom of movement, is experiencing a resurgence,„ says Prof. Dr. Horst W. Opaschowski, head of the institute. “Soon it will be like it was in the 1950s and 60s: No car traffic, no tourism.” If all German car vacationers started their holidays at the same time, the resulting traffic jam would stretch twice around the Earth, reaching a length of approximately 80,000 kilometers. Almost half of all families with children (471,000 – for comparison: singles: 251,000) still plan to travel by car for their holidays in 2004. Significant differences can also be observed between East Germans (421,000) and West Germans (341,000). When money is tight and savings have to be made on and during vacations, the car is indispensable as an affordable means of travel.

On vacation, people want to enjoy freedom in a special way. For them, the car as a means of transportation is an expression of lived and experienced freedom: being mobile by car means being independent, not tied to one place, dependent on others, or restricted and confined by practical constraints. In other words: being able to choose freely and decide freely, to travel freely in and out of countries, and to be where and when one wants. Opaschowski: "Automobility becomes synonymous with individual freedom. On vacation, the car is as individual as one's own feet – only faster." And this holds true for almost a lifetime. After all, it's not just the younger generation who travel by car on vacation. One in four vacationers over the age of 65 travels by car. Only after the age of 80 is car use on vacation drastically reduced (8%). You're only considered "old" when you can no longer drive.

With the resurgence of car tourism, all other modes of holiday transport are losing ground. Only one in twenty holidaymakers plans to use Deutsche Bahn (German Rail) or a coach for their vacation this year. The tourism industry's hopes of attracting older customers will not be fulfilled anytime soon. While in 1997 one in four retirees (24%) chose the bus as their holiday transport, by 2004 only one in eight (12%) intended to do so. The future looks no brighter for rail travel. While in 1997 one in five seniors (19%) used trains for their trips, this year only one in ten (9%) plan to do so. Air tourism is also experiencing declines – albeit from a high level. Until recently, passenger numbers were increasing every year.

Flying to distant destinations has become attractive and affordable for everyone. However, the latest BAT Tourism Analysis shows that the percentage of travelers planning to fly on vacation this year, at 22 percent, is lower than the figure for 1997 (26%). Professor Opaschowski explains: „Air tourism is at a crossroads. On the one hand, speed and range are strong arguments in favor of air travel. On the other hand, in addition to the fear of attacks, vacationers must also be able to afford air travel.“ German tourist regions between the North Sea, the Baltic Sea, and the Alps are expected to benefit from this development in travel in 2004 – provided the sun shines…

Research information

The study "German Tourism Analysis (TA 2004)" can be obtained from the Leisure Research Institute of British American Tobacco GmbH for a nominal fee of €14.80.

In addition to current analyses and forecasts on travel behavior in 2003/2004, the study also includes presentations on the following key topics:

• Holiday money is running low – reasons why non-travelers are unable to travel
• Instead of a holiday, a "city break" – a real alternative?
• Mobility revolution in tourism – The car is making a comeback
• Travelling in the age of the Internet - The way to a holiday is through a travel agency
• Last minute? No, thank you! – Spontaneous bookers remain a minority.
• Between sunbathing and soul bathing - How Germans spend their holidays
• Future outlook: Holidaymakers are riding the wave of well-being – long-distance tourism and adventure travel are becoming less and less in demand.

Also included are the most important overview tables broken down in a time comparison, by life phases, net household income, town size and education.

In addition, a detailed data volume on the German Tourism Analysis entitled "Travel Behavior 2003/Travel Intentions 2004" can be obtained for the price of 249.80 euros (available as either a script or CD-ROM).