Germans took some 277 million private and business trips involving at least one overnight stay last year, a new record high, according to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis).
This was an 11% increase on the previous year, and a 6% increase on the pre-pandemic year of 2019, according to the data.
Some 114 million trips were made to destinations outside Germany last year, which was 12% more than in 2023 and 15% higher than in 2019. Domestic trips, meanwhile, increased by 10% to total 163 million, a slight increase (+1%) on 2019 levels.
Popular destinations
The most popular destinations for Germans venturing abroad in 2024 included Italy (which accounted for 14% of all trips abroad), Austria (13%), Spain (10%), France (8%), and the Netherlands (7%), according to Destatis.
‘These five countries have maintained their position as the top destinations for travellers from Germany for 10 years – occasionally changing order,’ the statistics body noted.
Looking at the reasons for travel, some 240 million trips were taken for personal reasons, an 11% increase on 2023 and a 9% rise compared to 2019. Business travel also increased last year, to a total of 37 million trips, which is a 8% increase on 2024.
The number of business trips taken has yet to fully recover from the decline caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, however, with the number still 10% short of the 2019 total.
Modes of transport
In terms of the modes of transport used by Germans for taking trips in 2024, the car remained the most frequently used option, used for 58% of all trips, whether domestic or international.
Trains accounted for close to a fifth (19%), while air travel accounted for 17%. Coaches and other modes of transport each held a 3% share. All modes of transport have retained relatively similar shares for several years now, Destatis noted. Read more here.
