Study of Germans’ dream travel destinations: New findings from representative population survey

The DI Tourismusforschung publishes the results of the study “Germans’ dream destinations”. The results provide insights into Germans’ dream destinations and show where dreams and reality differ.

In a survey representative of the population, 1,000 respondents were asked where they would go on a vacation trip lasting several weeks if all costs were covered. In addition, two questions on the travel behavior of the respective respondents were added.

As a result, 234 different destinations were named, which can be assigned to 82 countries. The USA is the most frequently named country, with Germany in second place and Italy in third. A total of six of the ten most frequently named countries are in Europe.

The study also shows that both travel experience and the last trip taken can be influencing factors when choosing a dream destination. Respondents who have traveled frequently or far away in the last two years tend to travel to dream destinations far away much more often than the other respondents.

It is also striking that there is a clear discrepancy between the dream and the actual journey. For example, 45% of dream trips can be classified as long-distance trips, while only 9% of Germans’ actual vacation trips last year were long-distance trips (based on FUR – Reiseanalyse 2024).

The results were presented for the first time in March at ITB Berlin. You can download the report here.

For further information or questions, please contact:

Sven Krüßel
kruessel@fh-westkueste.de