German outbound travel confirms the power of Europe and the rise of cultural-nature destinations | News
As ITB Berlin brings the global tourism industry to Germany, a new analysis from Data Appeal and Mabrian reveals a clear pattern of behavior shaping German outbound travel: travelers are prioritizing destinations where cultural heritage and the appeal of the outdoors go hand in hand.
“The German outbound market remains one of the most important and influential in Europe,” said Carlos Cendra, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Mabrian. According to Eurostat’s latest tourism travel statistics, outbound trips by German residents accounted for 41.3% of the total in 2024 – the highest share in the European Union.
“As Germans increasingly choose domestic destinations, competition for the share of international travelers is becoming increasingly fierce. Understanding their preferences, behavior and changing expectations is therefore essential for international destinations looking to broaden their appeal and secure a top position in German travellers’ choices.”
The insight from Data Appeal and Mabrian, both part of Almawave Group, intersects, on the one hand, the emerging destinations within German outbound travel demand over the past three years and, on the other, the experiences and tourism activities that generate the greatest interest and engagement among Germans when traveling abroad, based on consolidated data from the past six months sourced from two major online activity platforms, Civitatis and GetYourGuide.
Europe remains the core of German outbound travel – with only a few exceptions on long-haul flights
Data collected from major online booking platforms shows that German demand is overwhelmingly driven by Europe, combining neighboring getaways and Mediterranean classics with a selective range of long-haul hotspots.
Consolidated data from 2025 on stays based on accommodation reviews by Germans in online travel agencies indicate a strong preference for European regions. Growing German demand on the domestic market is reflected in outbound travel, as neighboring destinations such as Tyrol, Vienna and Salzburg in Austria, as well as Poland’s Western Pomerania, continue to have strong appeal.
Southern Europe strengthens its position through Andalusia, Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands in Spain, in addition to the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur and Île-de-France in France. Italy is represented in several tourist profiles: Veneto, Lombardy, Trentino-Alto Adige, Tuscany, Sicily and Lazio. Outside Europe, the Thai province of Bangkok stands out as the only long-haul destination in the Top 20 with the most German stays.
Five of the most sought-after destinations by Germans in 2025 are also among the trendiest, with the destinations showing a stronger upward trend over the past two years. Sicily records the strongest increase since 2023 at +0.6 percentage points, while long-term momentum extends to Greater Tokyo, South Africa’s Western Cape and Thailand’s Surat Thani province.
“Rising travel costs are changing German outbound behavior,” says a Mabrian expert. “With flights to Spain and Italy – key destinations for German travelers – up around 40% since 2021, there is a growing demand for destinations that offer unforgettable experiences at a fair price. As Germans increasingly look for value-for-money alternatives, competing destinations have a real opportunity to differentiate themselves.”
The winning formula: heritage, nature and local cuisine stimulate German travel demand
Experience-level data confirm that this geographic pattern is not coincidental. “Cultural activities account for 45.2% of the total experience-related reviews, mainly related to heritage sites, museums and art,” explains Carlos Cendra, Director of Marketing & Communications at Mabrian.
“Nature-based experiences follow at 22.1% of reviews, especially those focused on landscapes, outdoor and active tourism. Gastronomy accounts for 10.5% of reviews, reflecting continued interest in local cuisine and dining experiences. Together, these indicators point to a consistent preference for destinations that can offer cultural immersion in addition to natural appeal.”
Six Italian regions account for almost a fifth of German stays – where culture and nature deliver the highest satisfaction
Italy offers a clear example of this integrated positioning. Six Italian regions are among the Top 20 most sought-after destinations in 2025 – Veneto, Lombardy, Trentino-Alto Adige, Tuscany, Sicily and Lazio – and together account for 19.4% of the total number of German stays in the Top 50 international destinations.
Large-scale AI-driven semantic analysis of online reviews written by German travelers about their experiences in Italy last year provides a comprehensive view of visitor sentiment in different regions and places of interest. The results confirm what the destination rankings already suggest: regions that combine cultural heritage with high-quality natural environments consistently generate the strongest ratings.
Tuscany (87.3/100), Sicily (87.1/100), Lazio (86.5/100), Veneto (85.8/100) and Lombardy (84.4/100) emerge as the highest-rated and most-reviewed Italian regions among German travelers. Although the Autonomous Province of Alto Adige generates a lower number of reviews, it records the highest overall sentiment score (88.8/100).
The focuses that generate the greatest engagement and satisfaction in these regions further illustrate this pattern. In Veneto, the Castello Scaligero di Sirmione achieves a sentiment score of 90/100, next to the Arena di Verona (88/100). In Lombardy, the Duomo di Milano reaches 90/100, while the Lake Como area records 84.3/100, reflecting a continued appreciation for iconic cultural monuments combined with picturesque settings. In Alto Adige, nature-oriented and heritage sites record particularly high levels of satisfaction, led by the Trauttmansdorff Botanical Gardens in Merano (96.8/100). In these examples, cultural icons and natural environments emerge not as separate attractions, but as complementary components of the overall travel experience for Germans visiting Italy.
“The Italian regions and attractions that generate the highest number of reviews among German travelers – such as the Trauttmansdorff Gardens – also record sentiment levels above 85 and even almost 97 out of 100,” adds Emilio J. Inés Villar, Head of International Tourism at Data Appeal. “This indicates that the experiences at these destinations effectively match the expectations and preferences of travelers.”
