Impact of the Deutschlandticket on German tourism
Key findings
- 53% of German travellers will use the Deutschlandticket when it becomes available
- Top destinations for potential Deautschlandticket users include: Berlin (32%), Bayern (27%) and Nordrhein-Westfalen (24%)
- City breaks (46%), holidays with family and friends (40%) and to visit relatives (28%) top reasons the Deautschlandticket will be used
- A third (32%) of Deautschlandticket users report they will travel internationally less and half (52%) of all German travellers think it will help reduce the country’s carbon footprint
- Two in five (38%) German travellers say the Deautschlandticket is revolutionising German tourism
- But is Germany cut out for the change? Just under half (45%) don’t think German tourism is as good as the rest of Europe and over half (55%) don’t think German transportation will be able to cope with the amount of people travelling
Half of German travellers will subscribe to the Deutschlandticket
The digital Deutschlandticket, a new subscription travel ticket that will give German’s unlimited travel by rail, tram and bus anywhere in Germany for €49 per month, will be used by the majority of the German travellers surveyed (those who travel for leisure at least once a year).
Just over half (53%) say it’s likely they will be subscribing to the ticket. Meanwhile, two fifths (42%) say it’s not likely.
Usage will be higher among young people with 67% of 18-34s reporting it’s likely they will subscribe compared to just over half (54%) of 35-54s and 30% of over 54s.
Berlin, Bayern and Nordrhein-Westfalen top destinations
One in three (32%) of the potential Deutschlandticket users surveyed, those who are likely to subscribe to the ticket, will make their first trip using the ticket to Berlin. Just over a quarter (27%) will travel to Bayern and just under a quarter (24%) to Nordrhein-Westfalen, making these the top three German destinations for the Deutschlandticket. Other popular destinations include Hamburg and Baden-Wurttemberg which will be visited by a fifth (21% and 18% respectively).
The Deutschlandticket will be used for pleasure not work
When asked how they will use the Deutschlandticket, the potential subscribers surveyed were most likely to say they’ll use it for city breaks or holidays with friends or family (46% and 40% respectively). Comparatively, just 12% said they’d use it for work trips.
The Deutschlandticket has the power to reconnect families and for Germans to get in touch with their culture. Over a quarter (28%) say they’ll use it to visit relatives and a slightly smaller proportion (23%) will use it to visit cultural/historical places. Overall, three quarters (73%) say they’ll use the ticket to explore somewhere they’ve never been before.
The Deutschlandticket has the potential to revolutionise German travel, with a third reporting they’ll travel internationally less
The Deutschlandticket has the potential to revolutionise the way German’s travel. A little less than a third (32%) of the potential users surveyed said it will decrease their international travel and half (52%) of all German travellers surveyed think it will help to reduce the country’s carbon footprint.
However, the ticket could also have the opposite effect, with 24% of the potential users surveyed saying they think their international travel will increase. In line with this, 10% said they’d use the ticket for onward international travel.
But is Germany cut out of this change?
The Deutschlandticket has garnered widespread interest but not everyone is convinced the country is cut out for the change. Just under half (45%) of all the German travellers surveyed don’t think German tourism is as good as the rest of Europe and over half (55%) don’t think German transportation will be able to cope with the amount of people travelling. Other concerns on the minds of German travellers include the spread of COVID-19 (31%) and worries it will increase tourism where they live (28%).
Read more about this on Zeit Online here.
