What Berge & Meer does

Berge & Meer Touristik GmbH is a private German direct-to-consumer tour operator founded in 1979, headquartered in Germany and serving the German-speaking market (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) with worldwide destinations across all continents. The company sells pre-packaged holidays through a multi-channel distribution model combining a proprietary online booking platform (berge-meer.de), a telephone sales call center operating extended hours, physical travel catalogs, and travel-agency referral partnerships. Its product portfolio centers on three core categories — Rundreisen (round trips, including guided tours, small-group tours capped at 16 participants, self-drive car tours, location-based single-hotel tours, and safaris), Kreuzfahrten (cruises via partnerships with AIDA, MSC, TUI Cruises / Mein Schiff, A-ROSA, Costa, Norwegian Cruise Line, Havila, Plantours, and Boat & Bike Tours), and Erlebnisreisen (experience-driven cultural and adventure travel) — supplemented by beach vacations, combination trips, last-minute deals, active vacations (cycling, hiking, skiing), city breaks, family holidays, and single-traveler packages. Pricing spans approximately €279 for entry-level packages to €5,099+ for premium offerings.

The company monetizes primarily as a tour operator earning margins on assembled package holidays (flights + hotel + transfers + activities), with supplementary commission revenue from cruise bookings and ancillary services (travel insurance, visa assistance, paid add-ons, and a 6x PAYBACK loyalty-points partnership). Its technology stack is a standard online booking platform enhanced by a 2025-launched AI text-based travel assistant named KIRA that handles natural-language queries for trip planning and customer support. Distribution reach is multi-channel: website, email newsletter with €50 voucher incentive, physical catalogs, organic social media, SEO, and the PAYBACK referral channel.

Berge & Meer operates as an independent private company with no disclosed funding, parent organization, acquisitions, or leadership changes in the available data. Revenue, headcount, and ownership structure are not publicly disclosed. The HolidayCheck 90% recommendation rate for featured properties is the only quantitative third-party validation cited, supporting brand strength but providing no commercial scale reference.

Name

Berge & Meer

Legal name

Berge & Meer Touristik GmbH

Website

https://berge-meer.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Berge & Meer is a 45+ year-old German direct-to-consumer tour operator selling packaged round trips, cruises, and experience travel to German-speaking consumers worldwide via website, telephone, and physical catalogs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tour Operator Services

NAICS

Tour Operators (561520), Travel Agencies (561510), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water (48721)

akta.pro primary industry

Private/Customized Multi-Day Tour Operators (THAKADAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cruise Tour Operators (Pre/Post Land Packages) (THAKAKAC), Luxury Multi-Day Tour Operators (THAKADAE), FIT & Private Tour Operators (Customized Day Tours) (THAKAEAC)

Keywords

• Package holidays
• Guided tours
• Cruise bookings
• Round trips
• Travel experiences

Headquarters

HQ city

Rengsdorf

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Package Holidays (Pauschalreisen): As a tour operator, Berge & Meer creates and sells comprehensive package holidays including flights, hotels, transfers, and activities as all-inclusive bundles. Revenue is generated through margins on these pre-packaged travel arrangements.
2. Cruise Bookings: Partnering with major cruise lines (AIDA, MSC, Costa, TUI Cruises, A-ROSA, Havila, Norwegian Cruise Line, Plantours) to offer cruise packages, earning commissions on bookings.
3. Add-on Services: Revenue from additional services including travel insurance, visa processing, guidebook sales, and PAYBACK points partnerships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Berge & Meer is a German tour operator that creates and sells package holidays as all-inclusive bundles combining flights, hotels, transfers, and activities. The company offers three core product lines: Rundreisen (round trips), Kreuzfahrten (cruises via partner shipping lines), and Erlebnisreisen (experience travels), alongside ancillary services such as travel insurance, visa processing, and free eBook travel guides. Customers book directly through the proprietary website (berge-meer.de), call center, or printed catalogs.

Product overview

Berge & Meer is a German tour operator with over 45 years of experience offering packaged tours, cruises, and experience travels. The core portfolio centers on three main product lines: Rundreisen (round trips) including guided tours, small group tours, self-drive car tours, location-based tours, and safari packages; Kreuzfahrten (cruises) encompassing river cruises, ocean cruises, and themed cruise options through partner shipping lines; and Erlebnisreisen (experience travels) focusing on authentic cultural immersion and adventure. Additional offerings include beach vacations, combination travels, single traveler packages, last-minute deals, active vacations (cycling, hiking, skiing), city trips, short breaks, and family holidays. The company provides supplementary services including a loyalty program (PAYBACK), travel insurance, visa assistance, and an AI-powered travel assistant (KIRA). Round trips are available for destinations across Europe, Africa, Asia, North and South America, with cruise partnerships spanning major lines including AIDA, MSC Cruises, Costa, A-ROSA, Mein Schiff, Havila Voyages, and Norwegian Cruise Line.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Rundreisen (Round Trips) Package tours covering multiple destinations with transportation, accommodation, and guided activities included, offered in various formats including guided tours, self-drive car rentals, small group tours, and location-based stays. Designed for German-speaking individual travelers and couples.
• Kreuzfahrten (Cruises) Ocean and river cruise packages including major cruise lines such as AIDA, MSC Cruises, Costa, A-ROSA, Mein Schiff, Havila Voyages, and Norwegian Cruise Line, covering ocean voyages, river cruises, bike & ship, and mini-cruises.
• Erlebnisreisen (Experience Travels) Authentic, immersive travel experiences focusing on local culture, nature encounters, and adventure activities, including cultural immersion, village stays, cooking experiences, and guided nature tours.
• Kleingruppen-Rundreisen (Small Group Tours) Round trips with maximum 16 participants per departure, combining guided experiences with intimate group settings for more personalized travel.
• Standort-Rundreisen (Location-Based Tours) Base-station round trips staying at one hotel throughout the journey with daily excursions, avoiding constant hotel changes while exploring the region from a single accommodation.
• Mietwagen-Rundreisen (Self-Drive Car Tours) Flexible round trips with rental car, allowing customers to design their own route and pace, available for destinations like Italy, Portugal, Ireland, Spain, and South Africa.
• Geführte Rundreisen (Guided Tours) Round trips accompanied by experienced local guides with modern touring buses, including destinations such as South Africa, China, Thailand, USA, India, and new emerging destinations.
• Safari-Rundreisen (Safari Tours) Safari packages combining wildlife viewing with accommodation, including destinations like Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia.
• Flusskreuzfahrten (River Cruises) River cruise packages including Danube, Nile, and other major European rivers, offered through partner cruise lines with full-board packages.
• Badeurlaub (Beach Vacations) Beach holiday packages including hotel accommodation, all-inclusive options, and beach-focused destinations, with family-friendly and short-stay options.
• Kombinationsreisen (Combination Travels) Multi-destination packages combining round trips with beach stays, cruises, or other travel styles in a single vacation.
• Last Minute Reisen (Last-Minute Travels) Spontaneous travel packages with departures within 90 days, offering savings on flights, hotels, and package tours worldwide.
• Aktivurlaub (Active Vacations) Activity-based travel including cycling tours (Radreisen), hiking tours (Wanderreisen), and ski trips (Skireisen), featuring routes like Bodensee-Radweg (Lake Constance Cycling Path).
• Städtereisen (City Trips) Short urban breaks to European and international cities with accommodation and optional activities.
• Singlereisen (Single Travels) Travel packages designed for solo travelers, including group tours and activities suitable for single participants.
• Kurzurlaub (Short Breaks) Weekend and short-stay packages for quick getaways, including city breaks and resort stays.
• Fernreisen (Long-Haul Travels) Distant destination packages including intercontinental flights and multi-day tour programs.
• Familienurlaub (Family Vacations) Family-oriented travel packages with child-friendly accommodations, activities, and pricing.
• Reiseversicherung (Travel Insurance) Travel insurance packages available for purchase alongside bookings.
• KI-Reiseassistentin KIRA (AI Travel Assistant) AI-powered chatbot assistant for travel planning and customer service inquiries that processes natural language queries to provide travel recommendations.

Quantifiable outcome

• HolidayCheck recommendation rate of 90% for featured properties

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability2 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PAYBACKcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLoyalty program partnership offering customers 6x PAYBACK points on travel bookings, driving customer acquisition and retention through the popular German loyalty program.
• AIDA CruisescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor cruise line partnership offering AIDA cruise packages through Berge & Meer's platform, providing customers access to AIDA's fleet of cruise ships.
• MSC CruisescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with MSC Cruises offering Mediterranean, Caribbean, and worldwide cruise itineraries through package holiday bookings.
• TUI Cruises (Mein Schiff)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive partnership offering Mein Schiff cruise packages as part of the holiday portfolio.
• A-ROSAcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRiver cruise specialist partnership offering A-ROSA river cruise packages across European waterways.
• Havila VoyagesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNorwegian coastal voyage specialist partnership offering Havila Capella cruise experiences.
• Norwegian Cruise LineminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPremium cruise line partnership offering worldwide cruise itineraries.
• Costa KreuzfahrtencoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorItalian cruise line partnership offering Mediterranean and international cruise packages.
• Plantours KreuzfahrtenminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBoutique cruise line partnership offering unique itinerary options.
• Boat & Bike ToursminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSpecialized operator partnership offering combined cycling and sailing experiences in Europe.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Meier's Weltreisen: German tour operator focused on long-haul package holidays, round trips, and worldwide destinations. Directly comparable to Berge & Meer's 'Fernreisen' and 'Rundreisen' product lines, serving the same German-speaking experiential traveler segment.
• DER Touristik: Major German tour operator (subsidiary of DER Touristik Group / REWE Group) offering package holidays, round trips, and cruises across Europe and worldwide destinations. Closely comparable business model to Berge & Meer with overlapping product categories and DACH customer base.
• ITS Coop Travel: German tour operator (part of the REWE Group tourism portfolio alongside DER Touristik) offering package holidays and round trips in DACH market. Comparable product structure and customer segments to Berge & Meer, with broader retail travel agency distribution.
• Vtours: Online-focused German tour operator (part of Vtours GmbH) selling package holidays, city breaks, and round trips across many of the same destinations as Berge & Meer. Closely comparable product mix and DACH customer base, differentiated by a stronger digital-first GTM.
• JT Touristik: German tour operator offering budget-friendly package holidays across Europe and select long-haul destinations. Comparable to Berge & Meer's value tier (packages from ~€279), with similar DACH leisure traveler focus and online/call-center distribution.
• Neckermann Reisen: Historic German tour-operator brand (relaunched under the new Thomas Cook / eTraveli-era portfolio) offering package holidays across Europe and worldwide destinations. Comparable to Berge & Meer in DACH package-holiday focus, with overlapping mass-market travel categories.
• Schauinsland-Reisen: Independent German tour operator specializing in package holidays, round trips, and cruises. Directly comparable to Berge & Meer in DACH focus, multi-channel distribution (web + call center), and product breadth across guided, self-drive, and group tours.
• Alltours: German tour operator offering package holidays with a strong value-segment focus across Europe, North Africa, and long-haul destinations. Comparable to Berge & Meer in target customer (DACH leisure travelers) and package-holiday product structure, including own-brand hotels in some destinations.

Others

• HolidayCheck: German-language travel review portal and booking platform. Comparable as a DACH travel comparator where Berge & Meer competes for organic search demand and where Berge & Meer earns its 90% recommendation rate on featured properties. Functions as both an indirect competitor and a marketing channel.

Broad incumbents

• TUI: Europe's largest integrated tourism group, headquartered in Germany. Operates its own tour-operator brands, cruise lines (TUI Cruises / Mein Schiff, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises), airlines, and hotels. Directly comparable to Berge & Meer as a German-language package holiday, cruise, and round-trip provider, but at vastly greater scale and vertical integration.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Berge & Meer