New Study Shows: Caravanning Tourism is an Economic Factor of Ever-Growing Importance in Germany

According to a recent study by the German think tank Deutsches Wirtschaftswissenschaftliches Institut für Fremdenverkehr e. V., or dwif, caravanning tourism makes a significant contribution to the German economy. The study reports that in 2018 alone, holidayers equipped with a caravan, motor caravan or tent generated some 14 billion euros in revenue in Germany – an 11.5 percent increase over 2016. The caravanning industry association CIVD is endeavoring to persuade German legislators to optimize the conditions for leisure-vehicle tourism, so that the potential of this type of activity can be fully exploited.

Caravanning holidaying is more popular in Germany than ever before – an evolution reflected by the fact that demand for new, used and rented motor caravans and caravans has been growing for some years now. The tendency of many German leisure-vehicle tourists to go on holiday in their home country works to the benefit not only of leisure vehicle manufacturers, but also the German tourism industry. The German think tank Deutsches Wirtschaftswissenschaftliches Institut für Fremdenverkehr e. V. (dwif) recently undertook a study of the importance of camping and caravanning tourism for the German economy. The study found that consumer spending by holidayers who traveled around Germany with a motor caravan, caravan or tent in 2018 generated some 14 billion euros in revenue during. This represents a significant increase of 11.5 percent relative to 2016.

Tourists who travel in a leisure vehicle spend roughly 50 euros per holiday day

More than 1.2 million new leisure vehicles were sold in Germany in 2018, and an additional 250,000 were in continuous use at German campgrounds. Each occupant of a caravan or motor caravan spends roughly 50 euros per holiday day. German campgrounds registered 50.5 million overnight stays in 2018 (2016: 49,7 million), while motor caravan pitches registered an additional 15.5 million (2016: 13,5 million). Moreover, in Germany, users of motor caravans undertook a total of 16.5 million day trips (2016: 14,5 million), while 57.5 million overnight stays were registered on permanent camping lots (2016: 59,8 million). That is a total of 140 million stays (2016: 137,5 million). Additionally, many campers are visited on the camp grounds by family members and friends. The aggregate expenditures of all these consumers in the regions in question translate into revenue of 5.3 billion euros. These revenues result from charges for overnight stays, retail sales, restaurant expenditures, and all manner of leisure time and cultural activities, to name only the most important sources. Another key factor are expenditures for equipment, amounting to 4.4 billion euro, plus travel related expenditures by caravan and motor caravan users amounting to an aggregate 4.3 billion euros, which are often not taken into account in the statistics.

Many economic sectors benefit from caravanning tourism

This type of leisure time activity generated 14 billion euros in revenue in 2018 alone. These financial resources flow directly into the German economy and remain there, as dwif CEO Dr. Bernhard Harrer, explains: “With the income they derive from leisure-vehicle and camping holidaying, operators of campgrounds and motor caravan pitches pay not only their employees, but also suppliers such as power companies and bakeries – as well as providers such as plumbers and electricians as well as building contractors, who do maintenance and repairs for the facilities; not to mention the ad agencies that produce promotional materials, tax consultants, insurance companies and financial services providers.” ”Caravanning makes a major contribution to the German economy and to job creation, particularly in rural areas and in economically disadvantaged regions,” added Daniel Onggowinarso, Managing Director of the caravanning industry association CIVD. In the interest of exploiting the full potential of this type of holidaying to an even greater degree, the CIVD advocates for streamlining the Federal Citizens Registration Act (Bundesmeldegesetz), and putting greater emphasis on creating new motor caravan pitches and upgrading existing ones. “We are engaged in a constructive dialogue with policymakers to overcome the identified constraints. The federal government recently adopted a national tourism strategy, which represents an important first step in the right direction. However, further measures are needed,” Mr. Onggowinarso noted.