The sector of the economy that deals with holiday and leisure activities is often called die Freizeitindustrie (leisure industry). The tourism sector includes travel agencies, tour operators, hotels, as well as sports event operators and restaurants. Leisure activities include everything from a bus trip to a tourist attraction with a guided tour and coffee in the afternoon, to sporting activities in nature, to a cruise over several weeks. The range of leisure activities requires a lot of experts to work in the tourism and leisure industry. The sector is booming in Germany, as it is in most other countries.

Still, many Germans prefer to spend their free time not at the beach, in the mountains, or sitting in a cafe, but at home watching television, listening to the radio, or surfing the internet.