The number of holidaymakers relying on a tour operator for their best weeks of the year in the last 12 months remained stable on a high level: In the 2012/13 tourism year, they made about 40 million professionally organized trips. As the analysis shows, offerings in the high-end segment were particularly in demand: "The customer has developed a strong quality awareness. The price is no longer the decisive buying criterion. More and more customers expect quality at a reasonable price", stressed DRV-President Buchy.
Trends in bookings for this winter are promising: The travel industry is already recording an increase in sales revenues of about five percent for the coming winter season compared with the previous year. Constantly good economic data along with a positive consumer sentiment spur people's interest in travel. GfK market researchers predict that private consumption will be growing also next year. On the basis of these positive forecasts, the DRV is expecting further market growth also for the coming business year.
Analyses carried out by the DRV Committee Statistics and Market Research show diverse business developments in the different segments of the tourist industry over the past twelve months. This is due to external factors, like, for example, the good weather in Central Europe this summer, or political developments in certain holiday destinations.
Here are some of the key results:
In terms of destinations, package tours to medium-haul destinations recorded the most distinct increases in sales revenues with 3.5 to 4 percent, along with flights to long-haul destinations with 4 to 5 percent. There is an even higher untapped potential for long-haul travel, because high extra charges on air travel – due to civil aviation tax, increases in the price of kerosene, currency impacts and the inclusion into the emission trade system – have been curbing the demand for remote destinations for three years. In addition, many air carriers have reduced their offer of air services. The demand for some destinations, like, for example, the Maledives could not be satisfied due to lacking capacities.
After a stagnation in the previous year, sales revenues of the so-called earthbound travel (by car, bus or rail) grew again by 1.5 to 2.5 percent. In addition to Germany, this segment also includes our neighbouring countries – like for instance Austria.
Tour operators also recorded increases in passenger bookings for the Balearic Islands, Greece, Tunisia and Turkey. In particular the long-haul destinations Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and the Caribbean Islands recorded an increase. Germany and Austria posted slight increases. Tours to the USA organized by tour operators remained stable on a high level. Egypt, Bulgaria, Italy and the Canary Islands recorded a lower demand.
A preliminary analysis of the favourite foreign destinations of Germans in 2013 shows that the preferences remained almost unchanged compared with the previous years: Spain is still holding the top position, especially in the summer months, followed by the countries around the Mediterranean, like Turkey and Greece.
Sea cruises have been a booming segment for years; also in the 2012/13 tourism year, the ocean cruise segment posted a growth in sales revenues of about 4 percent. For reasons of comparison: In the 2012 calendar year, more than 1.5 million passengers went on an ocean cruise, providing for sales revenues of 2.6bn euros (figures are only comparable to a limited extent with those of the tourism year). In the last tourism year, the river cruise segment had to face numerous challenges – among which were the floods in Germany, negative impacts of this year's strikes by the lock staff, discontinuation of cruises on the Nile for several months, as well as the rise in prices due to the increase in VAT from seven to 19 percent on January 1, 2012. Therefore, river cruises recorded declines in the high one-digit percentage range. Both segments together are accounting for a growth in sales revenues of 2 to 3 percent.
