Update: Economic Factor Caravanning Tourism 2021/2022

Camping holidaymakers provided the German economy with over 15 billion euros in turnover last year alone. This is an increase of one billion euros compared to 2020. The main driver of this development is motorhome tourism.

Tourist campers made 47.1 million overnight stays at German campsites in 2021. This is 3.1 percent less than in 2020 (48.6 million). Motorhome sites counted 15.1 million overnight stays last year – a growth of 4.0 percent compared to 2020. Motorhomers also made 16.8 million day trips. In addition, 41.2 million days were spent by permanent campers in Germany. This adds up to a total of 120 million overnight stays and day trips in 2021. “The main driver of this development is motorhome tourism.

The dwif survey showed that every caravan and motorhome owner spends around 50 euros per holiday day. Added to this are visitors such as relatives and friends. The combined expenditure of these people in the destinations amounts to 4.8 billion euros. This is an increase of 6.6 percent compared to 2020. The main drivers are motorhome owners. Their consumption in the destination outside campsites increased by 18.5 percent to 1.5 billion euros. Tourist campers at campsites are responsible for 2.4 billion euros (plus 4.3 percent), whereas permanent campers only account for 900 million euros. Moreover, their turnover is clearly declining (minus 4.5 percent). In addition to accommodation costs, the expenditure is mainly distributed among retail, gastronomy and all forms of leisure and cultural activities. An important factor is also the caravanning tourists’ investment in equipment, which amounted to 5.9 billion euros, and travel costs, which totalled 4.3 billion euros. The German treasury also benefits from this: the tax effect rose to over 3 billion euros.