FRANKFURT (dpa-AFX) - Many vacationers from Germany did not save money on this year's summer vacation despite inflation, according to data from tour operator Dertour. According to the data, 80 percent of guests booked a 4- or 5-star hotel. Last year it was 79 percent, according to the analysis. A quarter chose a luxury hotel (5 stars)-two points more than in the summer of 2022. "We found that the trends of last summer and winter, for example, to high-end hotels, have continued and even increased," explained Sven Schikarsky, head of product at Dertour as well as ITS and Meiers Weltreisen.

The number of family vacations also increased. With long-haul journeys there was a slight plus. "This shows us: the importance of vacations is higher than ever," Schikarsky analyzed. Tour operator Dertour, which is part of the DER Touristik Group, evaluated the booking and travel behavior of its guests as well as at its sister brands Jahn Reisen, ITS, Meiers Weltreisen and Travelix for the months of June to the end of September.

All inclusive continues to be the trend. 45 percent of guests opted for this this summer. Those who do not have to pay extra for food and drinks have more control over costs.

Good business also with competitors

Other travel groups, such as industry leader Tui, also reported good business in the summer. Summer bookings are currently six percent higher than a year ago, Tui CEO Sebastian Ebel said recently. Customers are spending an average of seven percent more on their trips.

According to recently published data from analytics firm TDA, booking sales for tour operator travel this summer season at the end of July were 16 percent higher than the same period last year and 9 percent above the pre-Corona level of summer 2019. TDA evaluates bookings of package tours and building-block tours in around 2,000 travel agencies. In addition, booking data from traditional travel portals is collected in the online section./mar/DP/zb