Summertime is travelling time. Many Germans already have their suitcases packed, but often don't yet know where they will be travelling to this year. The only thing that is certain is that expectations for the „best weeks of the year“ are high and that the offers on site should confirm, if not exceed, their own expectations. But what do German citizens actually expect to find in the individual holiday destinations? The Foundation for Future Studies - an initiative of British American Tobacco - investigated this question in this year's tourism analysis. A representative sample of over 4,000 German citizens aged 14 and over were asked which quality characteristics apply to which holiday destinations.

Holidays in Germany - Bavaria has the best image

The image of holidays in Germany is primarily characterised by the idea of „beautiful nature“ and „lots of peace and quiet“. However, Germans also associate „a wide range of gastronomic offerings“ and „high safety and environmental standards“ with travelling in their own country. In contrast, Germans rarely think of „good weather“ or a „good price-performance ratio“. The individual destinations often have very different reputations.

• Bavaria has the best image in a national comparison. Bavarian destinations scored particularly well in terms of „beautiful landscape“, „cleanliness“ and „hospitality“, among other things. In contrast, only around one in four respondents associate Bavaria with „bathing opportunities“ or „good value for money“.
• When Germans think of holiday destinations in Baden-Württemberg, they think of „beautiful scenery“ and „good food“ as well as „many opportunities to relax“. However, it is striking that none of these characteristics are attributed to the „Ländle“ by the majority of Germans.
• In addition to „bathing opportunities“, holidaymakers expect to find „plenty of peace and quiet“ and a „high environmental standard“ at the North Sea. In contrast, only a few think of „sunshine“, „parties“ or „lots of sights“.
• The Baltic Sea has the best image when it comes to „cleanliness“ and is also associated with a „bathing holiday destination“. However, the holiday regions on the Baltic Sea are only associated with „numerous excursion destinations“ or „entertainment“ to a limited extent.

„The image of German domestic holiday destinations is very good. The investments but also the marketing offensive of recent years are reflected in the numerous positive ratings. When it comes to „weather“ and „value for money“, our research also shows that the image in these areas does not necessarily reflect the reality. Holidays in Germany are not only often sunnier, but also cheaper than expected,“ says the Foundation's Scientific Director, Professor Dr Ulrich Reinhardt.

Travelling abroad - clichés are confirmed

A good image is particularly important for foreign destinations. Travellers often decide whether or not to travel to a country based on this image. At present, the image of the most popular holiday destinations - Spain, Italy and Austria - is particularly high. Turkey, Greece and Croatia follow slightly behind. The image of North African and North American destinations, on the other hand, is currently not particularly positive. The assessment of individual destinations often confirms stereotypical images. For example, the majority of respondents expect „sun, beach and sea“ in the Mediterranean countries. Spain also stands for „fun“, Italy for „good food“ and „child friendliness“, among other things. Austria is associated with „relaxation“ and a „beautiful landscape“, Turkey is said to offer the „best value for money“ and Greece is said to have „many sights“.
Ulrich Reinhardt summarises: „Travel satisfaction is a key concept in the tourism industry. Holidaymakers want to come home from their trip happy and satisfied. If not paradise, then at least heaven on earth, even if only for a fortnight. It is not only the objective features that count for the guest, but also the confirmation of the subjective expectations of the respective holiday destination. For all holiday destinations from the North Sea to North America, this means continuing to work on a positive holiday image, but then also making these expectations a reality on site. Certainly not an easy task, but a very rewarding one.

Domestic destinations	Share of Travellers	Residence duration	Costs per day	Popularity tendency
Bavaria	9,0 %	10.2 days	74 EUR
Baltic coast	7,7 %	10.9 days	75 EUR
North Sea coast	5,7 %	10.9 days	71 EUR
Baden-W.	3,5 %	8.9 days	76 EUR
Domestic destinations	Share of Travellers	Residence duration	Costs per day	Popularity tendency
Spain	13,3 %	13.1 days	89 EUR
Italy	8,3 %	11.9 days	80 EUR
Turkey	6,3 %	14.3 days	84 EUR
Austria	3,8 %	10.2 days	86 EUR
Croatia	3,1 %	14.4 days	64 EUR
North Africa	2,4 %	13.6 days	90 EUR
North America	2,1 %	17.9 days	133 EUR
Greece	2,0 %	16.7 days	69 EUR

We have corrected the text compared to the original version - we made a mistake in the interpretation of the available data, we apologise for this!