Berlin - Germans have retained their lust for travel, despite the deepening world economic crisis, a study released Wednesday showed.

Drawn up by the German motorists' association ADAC, the study said 64.5 per cent of Germans planned at least one vacation this year.

This represented a fall of only about three per cent, compared to 2008 with Germans long considered to be the world champions of global travel.

The ADAC study was released ahead of the opening of the world's leading travel trade fair, the ITB in Berlin. The study was based on the responses of 4,000 of ADAC's members.

However, 6.7 per cent less than last year said they wanted to take two or three holidays this year.

"The ADAC's holiday monitor confirms that vacation travel is firmly anchored in the German lifestyle," said Berlin trade fair director Martin Buck.

"Even in difficult economic times Germans are clearly not prepared to give up their vacation travel," he said.

More than 11,000 exhibitors from over 180 countries have so registered for the ITB. Last year 177,900 visitors turned up for the ITB. (dpa)