Germany set for further growth

Schauinsland chief Gerald Kassner
Foto: Silvia Steinbach

Germans remained the ‘world travel champions’ last year and again topped the international travel spending list with €60.7 billion, ahead of Americans and Chinese, Commerzbank economist Jutta Kayser-Tilosen said at the recent CMT travel fair in Stuttgart. This was a 3% rise on 2010, with business travel accounting for most of the increase as firms increased budgets again. Private spending grew about 1.4%, according to the annual Commerzbank study.

This year German travel spending will increase 2% to nearly €62 billion, Kayser-Tilosen predicted, and thus grow more slowly than in 2011. She predicted, however, that the Chinese would overtake Germans as the world’s top travel spenders in two years’ time due to the fast growth in Chinese tourism.

The Commerzbank forecasts tie in with those of the World Tourism Organization which said that international travel grew by 4.4% to 980 million trips last year. The strongest-growing markets were South America, Europe and Asia. The UNWTO is forecasting a further rise between 3% and 4% for this year.

TUI reported that families are currently booking slightly later than last year, which was a very strong early booking year. But Germany chief Volker Böttcher stressed: “The booking behaviour of customers is hardly any different at present to last year. We don’t expect any strong last-minute year like in the crisis year of 2010.” The market leader is seeing very strong demand for Croatia (+57%), Bulgaria (+33%) and the Canary Islands at present as well as for long-haul packages to the Indian Ocean, the USA and the Dominican Republic.

Fast-growing Schauinsland Reisen’s bookings are 25% ahead of last year, according to managing director Gerald Kassner. Family holidays have been in strong demand in recent weeks as well as packages with wellness and sports activities. In terms of destinations, the operator is enjoying “very good” bookings for the Canary Islands and Turkey, each with 20% growth, as well as double-digit increases for Majorca, Egypt and Tunisia. “Despite the euro debt crisis, holidays remain essential and the trend to early bookings is continuing this year,” he declared.

Meanwhile, Rewe Touristik has increased its summer 2012 capacity with 30,000 more seats, mostly to Turkey and Tunisia but also to Ibiza, Egypt, Bulgaria and the Canary Islands. René Herzog, head of capacity and revenue management, said: “We have extended flight capacity both during and outside the school summer holidays.”