Many conventional travel destinations suffer from the consequences of terror and conflict. Germans only feel safe in Europe but even Spain has lost popularity.
For majority of Germans, there are only five safe vacation destinations. This was the result of a representative survey by the Market Research institute GfK on behalf of the Hamburg Bat Foundation for future questions. According to the study, the Germans felt safest when they were on vacation in their own country as well as in Austria and Switzerland, Italy and Scandinavia followed with considerable distance. Meanwhile, just over one in two respondents (49 %) felt comfortable and safe with Spain as a vacation destination.
Instead of sun, beach, and sea, safety has become the decisive factor when traveling, said the scientific director of the study, Ulrich Reinhardt. The formerly popular vacation destinations of Turkey, Egypt and Tunisia were considered by only five percent as safe countries to travel. The Germans, therefore, felt particularly uncertain about Ukraine, followed by Mexico, Russia, and China. But even their own country was not seen by everyone as a safe vacation destination: One in twelve respondents stated they no longer feel safe in Germany.
The bad performance of one of the most popular travel destination, Spain, Reinhardt explains, among other things with the terrorist attack of August in Barcelona, an increased terrorism warning for Mallorca and the recent conflicts in Catalonia. They also contributed demonstrations against too many tourists, discussions about tourist tax and media coverage. Many holidaymakers, therefore, feel that they are no longer welcome in Spain. This is reflected in the survey, according to Reinhardt.
According to the expert, the personal assessment of whether you feel comfortable and safe in a country depends very much on education. Those who have a formally low education show themselves above average anxiety in many areas of life. In his opinion, this is also because of an often unilateral incorporation of information and a high susceptibility to the messages about terror.
Spain is much more... It's a really safe country and tourists are welcome. Try the North and inland of Spain and you find a different Spain: gastronomy, landscapes, beaches, mountains, monuments and different culture and you will not have demonstrations, political disputes and mass tourism.
A few observations on this article:
(1) “One in twelve respondents stated they no longer feel safe in Germany.” That speaks volumes about Mrs Merkel. I wonder how many will want to staycation in Cottbus? Or pass through Cologne railway station?
(2) “The recent conflicts in Catalonia”. What conflicts? There haven’t been any. Yet.
(3) “According to the expert, the personal assessment of whether you feel comfortable and safe in a country depends very much on education. Those who have a formally low education show themselves above average anxiety in many areas of life. In his opinion, this is also because of an often unilateral incorporation of information and a high susceptibility to the messages about terror.” What utter bullshit. As usual, the ‘expert’ seeks to denigrate those he chooses not to agree with. Read “Trump was elected by the uneducated”; "those with low formal education voted for Brexit". I call this educational fascism. In any case, I trust common sense over ‘education’ any day. If I see a dark-haired individual with a beard, fiddling with a rucksack and chanting something about Allah being great, I'm out of there.