Which Travel Destinations Were Popular in the 60s?

Until the 50s and 60s, most Germans could only dream of the Mediterranean beaches. Then tourism blossomed. A look back at the time when Germans learned to travel.

Flying off on a vacation by plane was still a distant dream in post-war Germany. At most, a break was financially possible at the North Sea, the Baltic Sea coasts, the Bavarian Alps, or the Black Forest - albeit only for a few. Most 'short trips' were spent at lakes, swimming pools, and with relatives in the countryside.

Only in the late 40s did optimism return to Germany after the war and reconstruction years, and in the 50s, the economic boom gave more citizens higher incomes, allowing more people to finally fulfill their desire for peace and recuperation.

'The economic miracle enabled Germans to buy a refrigerator or a washing machine for the first time. But travel also gained greater importance,' says Professor Ulrich Reinhardt from the Foundation for Future Studies. However, due to the limited transportation options, vacations were only possible to a limited extent. 'Travel was heavily dependent on available modes of transport, so mainly domestic destinations were traveled to,' says Reinhardt.

By the mid-50s, travel was statistically affordable for about a quarter of the population. By the 60s, wages were rising, and unions negotiated longer holidays and a shortened five-day workweek. But foreign travel remained the exception. 'Back then, as now, people primarily sought a contrast to everyday life. People planned bus trips, bicycle routes, or hikes. In today's tourism, those are just niches,' according to Reinhardt.

What followed was nothing less than the beginning of tourism's success story. Time for a retrospect: bettercities.net presents the most popular travel destinations of Germans in the 50s and 60s.

Historically speaking, Austria was a pioneer in tourism. As early as the 14th and 15th centuries, many people traveled to the Alpine state for pilgrimages and cures. By the 19th century, European nobility was flocking to Vienna.

The 20th century continued to attract increasing numbers of tourists seeking the mountains. By 1929, authorities recorded 19.9 million overnight stays, 8.6 million of which were from abroad. World War II abruptly ended this burgeoning tourism. Only in 1947 did an attempt for a restart occur, but out of the original 4700 hotels, only 300 were habitable due to wartime destruction. Furthermore, occupying forces restricted travel freedom.

German tourists discovered the Eastern Alps in the 50s - 6 percent of vacation trips from Germany led to Austria at that time. Most German tourists (54 percent) came by train, 19 percent by their own cars, and 17 percent by bus.

In summer, Tyrol and Lake Wörthersee were top destinations. In winter, German ski tourists started sliding down the slopes on wobbly wooden boards, for example at St. Anton am Arlberg, Innsbruck, and Kitzbühel. In subsequent years, more ski areas, mountain huts, and lifts were opened.

Until the 70s, Austria remained the favorite destination for Germans. But then air travel to Mediterranean beaches became affordable, slowing its growth.

Most Germans hadn't heard of spaghetti or pizza until the 40s, as Italy with its beautiful coasts and beaches was an almost unreachable dream destination back then. It was only in the 50s that more and more tourists from Germany traveled to the regions south of the Alps by buses, trains, and VW Beetles.

The majority of travelers headed to Italian campsites at Lake Garda and along the Riviera. Popular goals were also the big beaches on the island of Capri near Naples and in Rimini near San Marino on the Adriatic Sea.

The growing enthusiasm for 'Dolce Vita' soon mirrored back home, as women first appeared on the streets in fashionable Capri pants and radio stations filled living rooms with the rediscovered hit 'When the Red Sun in Capri Sinks into the Sea' by schlager singer Rudi Schuricke. Whether in music, art, fashion, architecture, or gastronomy, Italy was widely popular.

The popularity of Italian vacation regions peaked in the late 50s. The famed scene from the success film 'La Dolce Vita,' where actress Anita Ekberg steps into the Roman Trevi Fountain, and Marcello Mastroianni lies in desire, symbolizes this period.

Unlike Italy, the influx of German tourists to Mallorca continued unabated for decades and persists today. With the steadily growing flow of tourists, the tourism industry on Mallorca has expanded enormously. In the record year 2016, nearly 17 million tourists from abroad visited Mallorca and the other Balearic Islands, including about four million from Germany.

Thus, 'Malle' is still the most popular vacation spot for Germans. And according to futurist Prof. Reinhardt, that's unlikely to change: 'Mallorca is ingrained in many vacationers' minds as a cheap and easy-to-reach beach paradise.'

In the 60s, wages and working conditions in Germany improved even further. Many families' coffers were well-stocked, allowing them to afford more luxury goods, such as the first televisions, cars, or a trip to the new vacation hotspot everyone was talking about: Mallorca.

However, the first vacation flight from Germany had landed on the Balearic island much earlier, in 1956. Onboard were 30 well-dressed passengers braving the new and slightly intimidating propeller planes, unlike most of their fellow Germans. The first jet aircraft took off only several years later.

The major travel boom on the Spanish island followed in the mid-60s with the first package tours. The offer in the then Neckermann catalog: a two-week stay for 336 marks 'all inclusive.' The advertisement promised 'typical features,' including 'clean rooms, plenty of main meals, eager service, and a small bar where you could get much for little money.'

Indeed, beverages were not included in the all-inclusive service. However, a glass of brandy was only 22 pfennigs. For comparison, this summer, visitors at the Ballermann party hotspot 'Megapark' pay 15.80 euros for a liter of beer.

Most travelers spent their Mallorca vacation in the 60s mainly in Cala Ratjada, which was then still a small fishing village. Tourists explored the surrounding coastal region and Palma de Mallorca by bus, sipping on Lumumba along the way.

Incidentally, one of the first hotels on the island's capital's waterfront was Hotel San Francisco. For the Riu family, who operated the 80-bed establishment, the investment was the cornerstone of a tourism empire that today includes 103 hotels with 98,571 beds. Hotel San Francisco has since been demolished and rebuilt on the same site with 165 rooms.

The travel behaviors of people in Germany have continuously evolved over the past 70 years. With the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and rising fuel prices, the tourism industry seems poised for another upheaval.

According to futurist Prof. Reinhardt, this won't deter Germans from taking vacations: 'Travel remains the most popular form of happiness. People are more likely to forgo a new couch or television than stay at home. Rest and contrast to everyday life will continue to play a crucial role.' However, travel destinations are likely to change. Reinhardt: 'In the past, three-quarters of all trips were domestic. That reversed in the 90s. Now, it's swinging back the other way.'

Looking for inspiration? Find tips for all top travel destinations bundled at bettercities.net.

bettercities.net