Holiday time is excursion time. But which destinations do Germans actually visit and how satisfied are they with the local attractions? More than three in five families (61%) have been to a zoo or animal park at least once in the past 12 months. Amusement parks (52%) and water parks (42%) were also very popular. These are the findings of the latest study by the BAT Foundation for Future Studies, which surveyed a representative sample of over 2,000 German citizens aged 14 and over.

However, the attractions on offer at these facilities not only fascinate the core target group „family“, but also inspire numerous childless couples and singles, young seniors and retirees. When rating attractions, open-air events scored best on a rating scale of 1 - 5 („was thrilled“ - „was disappointed“) with an average score of 1.5. However, adventure pools and zoos (1.8 in each case), leisure parks (1.9) and science centres or interactive museums (2.0) also impressed visitors. What is striking here is the high degree of unanimity among visitors in their assessment, with only very slight differences in age or gender, income or town size, for example. The guests are therefore unanimous: a visit is worthwhile in any case!

However, it is not only visitors who have this positive attitude. The majority of the population (56%) see artificial worlds of experience as fun with friends and family, regardless of whether they have visited them. Compared to 1998, this represents an increase of 9 percentage points. There was also an increase in agreement with the statements about leisure centres in terms of „cheerful, stimulating atmosphere“ (+10 percentage points), „distraction from everyday life“ (+9 percentage points) and „perfect illusion“ (2 percentage points).

However, Germans are also realists and are increasingly seeing the offer for what it is: profiteering (30%). The sterile artificiality and kitschy staging are also increasingly criticised.

Professor Dr Ulrich Reinhardt nevertheless draws a positive conclusion: „Regardless of whether visitor or non-visitor, fan or sceptic, the trends are relatively clear: there are two convinced supporters for every critic. The investments and further developments of recent years are paying off, with approval and enthusiasm on the rise“. For the future, however, the Scientific Director still sees a need for action: „The times of higher, faster, further have reached - if not exceeded - their peak. In future, there will be a greater demand for fun and entertainment in the community, and in appropriately designed facilities. The ageing society and the steadily increasing childlessness should also be taken into account even more in the facilities“.

For the first time in its 34-year history, the BAT Foundation for Future Studies is also publishing the results of its qualitative research work. The attractiveness of the most popular leisure attraction in the individual federal states was analysed on the basis of an extensive list of criteria. In the overall ranking, the scientists awarded one overall rating of „Outstanding“ to Europapark Rust and three overall ratings of „Excellent“ to Autostadt in Wolfsburg, Phantasialand in Brühl and BMW Welt in Munich. A total of ten times the grade „Very good“ was awarded. This was awarded to Hansa-Park Sierksdorf, Holidaypark in Haßloch, Tropical Island in Krausnick, Leipzig Zoo, Calypso in Saarbrücken, the Ozeaneum in Stralsund, Klimahaus Bremerhaven, Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg, the Elbauenpark in Magdeburg and the Zoological Garden in Berlin. The grade „Good“ was achieved twice in total, by egapark Erfurt and Frankfurt Zoo.
In addition to these leisure facilities with the most visitors, the study also includes 34 other leisure worlds that are particularly worth experiencing - which were analysed regardless of size and number of visitors. These are spread across the whole of Germany and range from animal parks and western towns to interactive museums, adventure pools, fairy grottos and free attractions. The exact details of all 50 leisure attractions - with target group analyses, prices, insider tips and specific recommendations for the day on site - can be found on our website www.deutscher-freizeitatlas.de.

Technical data of the investigation

Number and representation of respondents: 2,034 German citizens aged 14 and over
Method: Face-to-face interviews
You can find precise details on all leisure attractions at www.deutscher-freizeitatlas.de