March 5, 2025, 4:15 p.m. | Reading time: 8 minutes
Representatives from the tourism industry will meet again in Berlin until Thursday for the world's largest industry trade fair, ITB. Sunnytrips summarizes the most important travel news at a glance
ITB Berlin will open its doors again from March 4th to 6th, 2025. Albania is the ITB guest country. Edi Rama, the Prime Minister of Albania, also came to the opening press conference of the International Tourism Exchange (ITB) at the exhibition center in Berlin on Tuesday morning. In total, exhibitors from 165 countries present themselves at the trade fair. The most important news at a glance.
Santorini is hoping for a largely normal summer season
The last cheap hotels on Playa de Palma are to disappear
Is Albania still a cheap travel destination in Europe?
Tourism association warns of racism in Germany
How will Germans go on vacation in 2025? The travel trends for 2025 according to tourism researcher Martin Lohmann
The travel trends for 2025 according to tourism researcher Martin Lohmann
There is no saving on vacation
TUI is expanding its range of affordable trips
Alltours expects a strong increase in sales in the summer
Albania is the ITB guest country – the most beautiful travel destinations and best tips
Santorini is hoping for a largely normal summer season
The earth around Santorini has been shaking repeatedly since the beginning of February. Even if they are leveling off, the quakes are questioning many travelers' summer vacation plans for the popular Greek holiday island. The Foreign Office continues to advise against unnecessary trips to the Cyclades island.
Greek Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni is optimistic about the peak season starting in May. “We assume that it can proceed largely normally,” she said at the ITB travel trade fair in Berlin.
“Of course, we continue to monitor the situation closely to ensure that all visitors feel safe,” said Kefalogianni. All decisions were based on scientific findings. There is currently a decline in seismic activity around the island - which is why, for example, schools on Santorini have reopened.
The last cheap hotels on Playa de Palma are to disappear
According to a report in the “Mallorca Zeitung”, Palma's mayor Jaime Martínez presented his plans for the comprehensive modernization of Playa de Palma at the ITB 2025. A total of around 21.5 million euros will be invested to upgrade the holiday resort. Part of these funds will go to projects that have already begun, including the modernization of Es Carnatge and Plaça Meravelles.
A central concern of the conservative politician is to persuade the remaining hotels with a maximum of three stars and hostels to carry out the necessary renovations. According to Martínez, around a quarter of existing hotels fall into this category.
Is Albania still a cheap travel destination in Europe?
According to Christian Kaschner, Vice President Tourism at the travel portal Holidaycheck, the host country of ITB 2025 remains a cheap alternative compared to other popular travel destinations such as Croatia and Greece. “But Albania is not a country for cheap tourism,” emphasized Kaschner when asked by Sunnytrips. "Basically, prices in Albania have followed general inflation in recent years. Due to the increasing demand and supply not growing at the same rate, above-average inflation can therefore be expected." Albania is definitely one of the most important newcomer holiday destinations and will establish itself as a permanent holiday destination for Europeans within the next few years, said Kaschner.
Tourism association warns of racism in Germany
According to a report by “Deutschlandfunk”, the German Tourism Association has pointed out the dangers of racism, intolerance and attacks on people with a foreign appearance. Political developments in Germany are being followed closely abroad, explained association president Reinhard Meyer at the ITB. He emphasized that cosmopolitanism is a central element of the tourism industry.
In the federal election at the end of February, the AfD received around 20 percent of the vote. Meyer sees this as a challenge for the industry for two reasons. Without international guests and qualified specialists from abroad, Germany cannot maintain its attractiveness as a travel destination. He did not specifically mention the AfD.
According to the German Tourism Association, German tourism is heavily dependent on international visitors. In addition, foreign workers and skilled workers are indispensable given the shortage of skilled workers. A clear and unmistakable message is needed: Germany is an open and hospitable country where people from all over the world feel welcome.
How will Germans go on vacation in 2025?
According to the Research Association for Vacation and Travel (FUR), the signs for the travel market in 2025 point to growth. The number of trips this year could even slightly exceed the pre-Corona crisis level of 71 million. According to figures from the German Travel Association (DRV), sales for the 2025 summer season (May to October) rose by twelve percent and the number of travelers by six percent.
But how are Germans actually going on vacation this year? Hardly anyone knows this question as well as Martin Lohmann. The tourism researcher accompanies the annual travel analysis of the Holiday and Travel Research Association, which is based on more than ten thousand interviews, as a scientific advisor. For many people, vacation is like buying a Christmas tree, says Lohmann in an interview on the occasion of ITB 2025 in Berlin. “It has to be.”
The travel trends for 2025 according to tourism researcher Martin Lohmann
The travel expert recognizes some trends:
"One is the great stability with which Germans travel. You can rely on that and that's not the case in other consumer areas: that people regularly go to restaurants, buy certain chocolate or German-made cars, for example. But for many, vacation trips are like buying a Christmas tree at Christmas, that has to happen every year."
"I would overwrite the other with differentiation. Vacationers are looking for offers that are tailored precisely to their needs. And the providers try to deliver tailor-made products. For example, no longer just for families in general, but for families with small children, families with even smaller children or families with infants. And on the other hand, there are more and more adults-only hotels just for adults."
"What we are still observing is something that we call the multi-optional customer: They are incredibly flexible in their travel behavior and their holiday destinations. For the providers, this means that they are in completely unusual competition: Then a region like Tyrol is in competition with Brittany or Danish holiday home regions, because the same people would like everything equally well."
"And perhaps in conclusion: There is actually a long-term trend in the attitudes of Germans that more and more people find an ecologically compatible, resource-saving vacation important. But at less than 50 percent there are still too few. In my opinion, too little is happening with the travel providers: They should sell sustainable products not only to those who are interested in them, but also to those who don't care about the topic. This can be done using marketing means."
There is no saving on vacation
Despite the gloomy economic outlook and inflation, consumers overall are not saving on vacation. However, according to ADACKapp, almost a quarter of those surveyed in a survey said they would cut their travel budget. A third of them, significantly more than in the last survey, decided not to take vacation at all. The Holiday and Travel Research Association found that consumers are increasingly annoyed by sharply increased travel prices, but this has so far not had a dampening effect on demand. The German Travel Association expects eleven percent more sales and four percent more travelers for the tourism year that runs until October.
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TUI is expanding its range of affordable trips
The travel group TUITUI1n.DE wants to expand its range of inexpensive trips in the future. "We still have some catching up to do. We are investing heavily in order to close gaps in the portfolio," said the head of TUI Germany, Benjamin Jacobi, on Tuesday at the ITB 2025 in Berlin. The background to this is, on the one hand, the bankruptcy of the former third-largest provider FTI last year, which focused on the budget holiday segment. There have also recently been indications from sales partners that the package deals are too expensive for some customers. Many people are therefore waiting to book. For this reason, too, TUI is adding more three-star accommodation to its program.
“We have prepared well for the summer and are using our size to negotiate low prices, especially for families as a price-sensitive target group,” said Jacobi. Guest surveys at the TUI Suneo hotel brand for cheap all-inclusive holidays showed that price-conscious holidaymakers also wanted to travel several times a year.
Alltours expects a strong increase in sales in the summer
The tour operator Alltours expects strong growth in the summer season with slightly rising prices. “The booking volume for the summer is stronger than ever before,” said Alltours boss Willi Verhuven on Tuesday at the ITB 2025 in Berlin. The Düsseldorf-based company expects sales growth of ten percent during the peak travel season. On average, prices rose by three to four percent across all target areas. There is significantly greater demand for package holidays and the trend towards early bookings, which come with discounts of up to 55 percent, is continuing.
Last year, Alltours, now the fifth largest provider in Germany according to data from the trade publication FVW, was also able to benefit from the bankruptcy of the former number three FTI. In the last financial year 2023/24, the group achieved a record profit before taxes and depreciation of almost 100 million euros, an increase of 31 percent. Sales rose by 16 percent to 2.3 billion euros. The number of Alltours guests increased to a peak of 2.291 million.
With material from dpa and reuters
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