The holiday preferences of German travellers have become clear over the past year: Turkey is the undisputed leader among the most popular travel destinations. This is the result of an analysis by the online marketing platform Localyzer, which evaluated search queries for holiday destinations from May 2023 to May 2024. What is surprising is the increasing interest in Albania, which has established itself as an up-and-coming holiday destination and has been able to increase search volume by over 100 percent.

With an average of 160.890 monthly searches, Turkey is the undisputed favorite destination of Germans. This preference extends across all federal states, confirming the country's popularity across the country. Turkey offers a diverse mix of culture, history and beach holidays, which makes it particularly attractive. According to Localyzer data, cities such as Istanbul, Antalya and Bodrum dominate the searches. These destinations are known for their tourist infrastructure and the diverse opportunities they offer vacationers.

Croatia and Greece: Popular alternatives

Croatia and Greece follow in second place with an average of 84.890 and 79.070 monthly searches respectively. Both countries offer breathtaking coastal landscapes and cultural experiences that are particularly popular with families and couples. There is a slight deviation in Schleswig-Holstein, where Denmark is also one of the preferred destinations, which explains the geographical proximity and the associated easy accessibility.

A notable trend is the increase in interest in Albania. With a monthly search volume of 61.750 queries, the country ranks fourth in the ranking. The growth rate is even more impressive: since May 2023, the number of searches has more than doubled, an increase of 100,7 percent. This development is due to the country's increasing popularity as a tourist destination. The coastal regions and the historic city of Berat, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in particular, are attracting more and more visitors. Albania also benefits from its relatively undiscovered status, which promises travelers an authentic experience away from the crowds.

Italy and Germany: Stable but not frontrunners

Italy ranks fifth with 43.410 searches per month. Despite its popular holiday destinations such as Rome, Venice and Tuscany, there is no noticeable increase in interest. Germany itself is surprisingly only in 19th place in a European comparison, with only 14.220 searches. This indicates that German holidaymakers still like to travel abroad, even if their own homeland offers numerous attractive destinations.

Countries such as Serbia, Macedonia and Liechtenstein are at the bottom of the popularity scale. Serbia only records 2.180 monthly searches, which puts it at the bottom of the ranking. Macedonia and Liechtenstein also record only low search volumes, which indicates that these countries have not yet attracted the attention of German tourists as attractive holiday destinations.

Regional differences and increases

An interesting aspect of the analysis is the regional difference in search intensity. Hamburg had the most searches for holiday destinations per 1.000 inhabitants, followed by Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Saxony. This could indicate a greater willingness to travel or a greater interest in traveling abroad in these regions.

In addition to Albania, Slovakia, Finland and Monaco also saw notable increases in search volume, albeit to a lesser extent. Slovakia increased by 23,1 percent, while Finland and Monaco each saw an increase of 20,8 percent.

Significance for the tourism industry

Matthias Lange, founder and CEO of Localyzer, emphasizes the importance of these findings for the tourism industry. Understanding consumer search behavior is crucial for travel providers to develop targeted marketing strategies and respond to travelers' needs. Local travel agencies in particular could benefit from this data by developing targeted offers for emerging destinations such as Albania or Slovakia.

The analysis clearly shows that Germans' travel interests are broad, with a strong preference for established destinations, but also a growing curiosity about lesser-known destinations. For the tourism industry, this offers numerous opportunities to tap into new customer segments and continue to inspire existing customers through targeted offers and marketing strategies.