German government advises to avoid travel at Christmas even though the cumulative incidence of the last seven days has dropped slightly.

If effective, the situation could decisively affect tourist flows to southern European countries and other international beach and sun destinations, much sought after by Germans for their winter vacations.

According to German Transport Minister-designate Volker Wissing, Germans should stay home for Christmas and avoid travel to avoid contamination by the new covid-19 variant virus, Omicron.

"The winter of 2021 will be more dramatic than the winter of 2020. We cannot take the coronavirus lightly. In the current situation, it makes more sense to spend Christmas at home with few relatives and not plan trips around the country," Wissing told the "Bild" newspaper.