Harsher measures should be taken against asylum seekers if they take a holiday in their country of origin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in an interview, in which she also said she had no regrets over her open-door refugee policy.

"Taking holidays in the country in which you are being persecuted is not on," she said in an interview with Welt am Sonntag, adding that it could be a reason to re-examine an asylum case.

While there is no official data on asylum seekers returning to their home countries on "holiday", the issue has been the focus of media reports in Germany.