Online sales benefit from the last-minute boost

Nuremberg, August 27, 2026 – The strong last-minute demand for package holidays and modular tour operator travel continued in July, with online sales benefiting the most. Towards the end of the booking month, travellers’ interest increasingly shifted towards the autumn holiday period, while the upcoming winter season also gradually gained momentum. The cumulative performance of the 2026/27 winter season improved by 3 percentage points compared with the previous month, although it remains below the previous year’s level (-2%). The current summer season improved by one percentage point and is now 4% ahead of summer 2025 in terms of sales.

German consumers spent around EUR 2.1 billion on tour operator holidays booked in July 2026. This represents an increase of 12% compared with the same month last year. The largest share of July sales, at 39%, came from short-term bookings for holidays departing in July or August. This was followed by autumn holidays in September and October, accounting for 29% of monthly sales. “This year’s last-minute business is being driven by a catch-up effect combined with the usual demand from customers booking at short notice,” explains Roland Gassner, Director Business Development at Travel Data + Analytics. Overall, holidays booked at very short notice – no more than four weeks before departure – generated almost EUR 1.1 billion in sales in June and July combined. Of this amount, 65% was booked online via tour operators’ travel portals and traditional OTAs. Online distribution therefore benefited significantly more from the last-minute surge, although booking intake at high-street travel agencies was also positive. The balance between the distribution channels is shifting. Online sales already account for 46% of the sales volume of all summer holidays booked so far for 2026 – an increase of 5 percentage points compared with the previous year. This shift is also reflected in the differentiated seasonal performance: across the total market for tour operator holidays, summer 2026 sales as of the end of July are 4% above the previous year. This comprises a 16% increase in online sales and a 4% decline in high-street travel agency sales. One fifth of July’s monthly sales went towards the upcoming 2026/27 winter season, which begins with departures in November. Thanks to positive booking intake in July (+11%), the cumulative winter sales balance improved by 3 percentage points compared with the previous month, although it remains negative at -2%. For package holidays and modular tour operator travel, the shortfall is even greater at -6%.

The only travel segments currently showing growth for the upcoming winter season are cruises, with cumulative increases of 3% in both sales and booked passengers, and land-based travel, with sales up 26% and passenger numbers up 12%. Overall, the number of travellers booked for the coming winter season is still 7% below the previous year’s level.

Legend:

The chart shows the travel revenue generated cumulatively by the end of July 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 July 2026 attributable to the individual travel months and seasons.