Reise + Camping: Campsite overnight stays continue to grow

From February 19 to 23, 2025, at the Reise + Camping fair in Essen, Croatia presents itself as partner country, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe. This year, tens of thousands of guests are expected at the most popular fair in North Rhine-Westphalia, who can then gain a comprehensive impression of the various tourist areas of our beautiful country. 

Before the start of the tourist fair, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports (MINTS) and the Croatian Tourist Board (HTZ) presented to the German media the activities that Croatia is implementing in order to improve the quality of offers and services.

"Our country is one of the favorite holiday destinations for travelers, campers from Europe and around the world. We are pleased to have the opportunity to present the diversity and beauty of our different holiday regions to a wide audience at Reise + Camping 2025. For a holiday destination like ours, this fair is the ideal opportunity to get in touch with numerous travelers and convince them of our destination.”, he said Romeo Draghiccio, director of the Croatian Tourist Board.

By developing tourism in the direction of sustainability, we are additionally positioning our country as a favorite destination for Germans, emphasized the Minister of Tourism and Sports Tonči Glavina and added:

"The German market is our most important source market, from which we achieved 3,2 million arrivals and 22,4 million overnight stays last year. According to the latest ETC research, 79% of Germans plan to travel to other countries, and nature, camping and outdoor activities are their main travel motives. Camping tourism is an important part of Croatia's tourist offer and is becoming increasingly important in the development of continental and year-round tourism. More than 30 campsites are open 365 days a year, and according to ADAC data, Croatia is the second best in terms of campsite quality in Europe, and the first in terms of the quality of its bathing facilities. We are proud that Croatian campsites, 26 of them, are also winners of the ADAC Superplatz label. All of this data confirms that Croatia offers a truly high-quality camping offer, and our investment in improving quality is growing every year." Glavina pointed out on his Linkedin profile. 

"In combination with cycling Essen and our partner country Croatia, it is especially worth visiting Reise + Camping 2025. So you can plan your next vacation with the right equipment in a beautiful holiday region. We are pleased to be able to present such an attractive tourist destination to our visitors as a partner."", He said Gunter Arndt, Reise + Camping project manager.

Overnight stays in campsites continue to grow

Camping continues to enjoy increasing popularity: in 2024, according to the German Federal Statistical Office, the number of overnight stays in German campsites increased by 1,4 percent compared to the previous year. That sounds modest. But when compared to 2019, overnight stays in German campsites increased by 19,9 percent. Interestingly, there has been a change in travel behavior.

This is confirmed by the registration data confirmed by the Caravanning Industry Association (CIVD). Namely, a total of 2024 recreational vehicles were registered in Germany in 96.392. For campers, the figure increased by 9,1 percent with 74.718 new registrations, while for caravans the figure remained stable with 21.674 new registrations and a decrease of one percent. In addition, CVID records a high demand for used vehicles: 106.631 campers and 80.588 caravans changed hands in 2024, which corresponds to growth rates of 8,6 and 1,6 percent respectively.

The Croatian fair is located in Hall 8, and this year the fair attracted around 750 exhibitors.