By Inna Hemme
Where to go at Easter According to a joint analysis by the online travel agency Expedia and the holiday home platform FeWo-direkt, classic Easter travel destinations such as Mallorca or the Canary Islands are facing stiff competition this year. From destinations in the east. For the Easter holidays, they are registering up to 200 percent more inquiries than last year! What’s going on there?
money is loose “In this time of rising prices, it’s about getting the most out of your own vacation budget,” says vacation expert Wolfgang Pagl from FeWo-direkt. “Germans are looking for affordable alternatives. Compromises are more likely to be made with the destination than with the furnishings of the holiday home. That’s why vacationing in eastern Germany or in the neighboring countries is an attractive option for many.” Good for us, Berliners. Because we don’t have far to go.
And what are the most popular east destinations for Easter?
► In this country, development is above all Saxony a trend travel destination. Dresden and Leipzig can look forward to 190 and 150 percent more searches for the Easter holidays. Thuringia can also expect more guests than last year. City travelers are increasingly drawn to Erfurt (plus 120 percent) and Jena (plus 80 percent). Magdeburg in Saxony-Anhalt also recorded 90 percent more search queries.
Idyll in Brandenburg: A Spreewald barge with tourists travels on a river through nature near the Spreewald village of Lehde. Photo: picture alliance / eg
► In Brandenburg cities, on the other hand, play less of a tourist role than natural landscapes. These are particularly attractive to travelers who want to stay in vacation rentals with family and friends. According to the analysis this year, the focus is increasingly on: the districts of Oder-Spree (plus 35 percent), Dahme-Spreewald (plus 60 percent) Oberspreewald-Lausitz (plus 70 percent).
► But abroad? Many travelers are looking for vacation rentals across the German border in Poland or the Czech Republic. For the Polish West Pomeranian Voivodeship, which borders directly on Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, there were 55 percent more search queries this Easter, and for the Karlovy Vary region in the Czech Republic even 135 percent more searches than in the previous year.
► The cities in the east of europe are becoming increasingly popular with German travelers. Wroclaw, Poznan and Gdansk all recorded a three-digit increase. There is also an increasing search for hotels in the capital cities of Warsaw, Prague, Budapest and Bratislava.
The good thing about the new east travel desire? All of these cities are not only cheaper, but also less crowded than Rome, Barcelona & Co.