Tourism summit in Berlin: Future of package tours in danger!

Tourism summit in Berlin: Future of package tours in danger!

On Monday, June 2, 2025, the important tourism summit took place in Berlin, in which the role of vacation abroad for the Germans and its influence on the economy was the focus. Representatives from politics and industry discussed the continuing popularity of package tours and the associated challenges that affect the entire tourism sector.

A central topic of the discussion was the pressure on the airports that suffer from high cost and competitive pressure. Airlines are increasingly looking for alternative departures, which could endanger Germany's accessibility and attractiveness as a air traffic location.

political attention for the tourism sector

Anja Karliczek, the new chairman of the tourism committee in the Bundestag, demanded more political attention for the tourism sector during the opening speech. Their concern is based on the fact that millions of people in Germany are busy in tourism and this industry urgently needs increased visibility. Karliczek emphasized the need to better use opportunities in international markets such as Asia and Africa.

Another topic that was discussed was the problems of gastronomy. The economic existence of many companies is in danger, which also threatens the jobs in this area. This was identified by various participants as a pressing problem that requires urgent solutions.

popularity and endangerment of the package tours

Christoph Debus, the boss of Dertour, expressed optimistically about the travel year 2025 and sees a stable development and an increasing desire to travel to the Germans. Nevertheless, there are concerns about the planned reform of the EU flat-rate directive, which has the potential to make package tours more expensive. Debus called for a stronger contribution to the EU process from the federal government to avert negative effects on the industry.

Norbert Fiebig, President of the German Travel Association (DRV), emphasized the urgency to improve the economic framework for the travel industry. Air traffic in particular is of central importance as a backbone of the industry, since a loss of Germany's attractiveness as a air traffic location could bring significant negative consequences for vacation and business trips.