Kurzfristbuchungen ziehen stark an

Nuremberg, July 30, 2026 – Last-minute and short-term holiday bookings for the summer months increased significantly in the booking month of June (+19 percent). As a result, the cumulative revenue performance for the current 2026 summer season improved by two percentage points compared with the previous month, reaching growth of 3 percent. Booking volumes for the 2026/27 winter season also increased (+5 percent). However, on a cumulative basis, the upcoming travel season from November 2026 to April 2027 remains below the previous year’s level (-5 percent).

The booking month of June 2026 was characterised by strong short-term demand: Around half of the month’s revenue was generated by holiday bookings with departures during the main summer holiday period from June to August. A further nearly one quarter of monthly revenue was attributable to the autumn holiday period in September and October. The strong summer booking intake in June, with revenue growth of 19 percent compared with the same month of the previous year, offset more than half of the losses accumulated between March and May. Türkiye has returned to a growth trajectory (+7 percent) and has narrowly regained first place as the most popular summer destination, ahead of Spain. In June alone, one in every four euros of booked revenue was spent on holidays to Türkiye. Greece and Egypt are also currently experiencing strong demand, with particularly high demand for cruises.

As of the end of June, the current summer season had reached 82 percent of the total revenue generated during last year’s season. Although the current fill level is slightly lower than in the previous year, the outlook remains fairly promising. In regions where the school holidays had already begun in June, last-minute business developed much more dynamically than in the major source markets of North Rhine-Westphalia, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, where the holidays did not begin until the second half of July or early August. A continued positive development in last-minute business can therefore be expected, as also demonstrated by the new booking intake recorded during the first two weeks of July: It remains significantly above the previous year’s level.

The price level is higher this year: On average, prices for package holidays by air booked in June for travel during the summer holidays were 6 percent above the previous year’s level. “Last minute should not be equated with bargain prices. This year, we are seeing a remarkably high volume of holidays booked at short notice, and these are even slightly more expensive than in June of the previous year or than the new bookings recorded during the months since January,” emphasises Roland Gassner, Director Business Development at Travel Data + Analytics GmbH.

Almost 1.8 million German residents booked a tour operator holiday in June, either as a package or as a dynamically combined arrangement. With a share of 85 percent, holidaymakers’ interest was concentrated on a relatively short and predictable planning horizon. Only around one in ten customers booked a winter holiday in June. In terms of revenue, winter bookings accounted for a higher share of 17 percent, although this was also lower than in the same month of the previous year. “Given the continuing geopolitical uncertainties, many holidaymakers remain cautious about booking a package holiday by air for the coming winter season,” says Gassner.

Legend:

The chart shows the travel revenue generated cumulatively by the end of June 2026 for the current 2026 summer season and the coming 2026/27 winter season, each compared with the previous year. TDA's analyses include holiday bookings made both in stationary travel agencies and online via tour operators' travel portals and Online Travel Agencies (OTAs), with a focus on package holidays. The left side of the chart shows the percentage share of revenue in the booking month of June 2026 attributable to the individual travel months and seasons.