In just a few days, the most wonderful time of the year will begin again: the holiday season. For fifty weeks, Germans have been working and saving, planning and looking forward to finally being able to go on holiday. Expectations of holidays are correspondingly high, because everyone wants to find their own personal holiday happiness. But what does a perfect holiday involve for German citizens? The non-profit organisation BAT-STIFTUNG FÜR ZUKUNFTSFRAGEN (BAT FOUNDATION FOR FUTURE QUESTIONS) investigated this question and interviewed over 4,000 German citizens in face-to-face surveys. One thing is certain: a good and fair price-performance ratio is a core requirement for holidays for more than three quarters of all Germans. Travellers are not stingy, but rather price-conscious and want to know exactly what they are getting for their money. Apart from this, other Material quality characteristics In addition, the range of leisure activities such as varied evening entertainment, good shopping facilities, wellness or activity programmes and cultural offerings tend to play a subordinate role.
Much more important, however, are the natural conditions sun, a healthy climate and beautiful nature, as well as the intangible quality characteristics on site; from a cosy atmosphere to hospitality and harmony with travel partners. This is also illustrated by a year-on-year comparison: in the regular surveys conducted over the past 20 years, only two characteristics have been consistently represented in the top 10: beautiful nature and a cosy atmosphere.

As a result, the Foundation's Scientific Director, Professor Dr Ulrich Reinhardt, is calling for a rethink in the tourism industry: "A holiday is first and foremost a time to relax and feel good. Too many on-site offers are more stressful than they make you happy. The industry should focus more on its cornerstones again and not try to provide all the everyday offers, which may lack quality, on holiday as well. Friendliness and a feel-good atmosphere are more important to guests than wellness, shopping or sports facilities."

Further analyses on differences between women and men, domestic and international travellers, the young and older generation and low and high earners can be found on our website www.tourismusanalyse.de.
A free PDF download of the complete study on the 30th German Tourism Analysis 2014 is also available there.