Europeans return to the beach
2010 is set to be a better summer for the travel industry, with bookings up in the UK and stable in Germany, and slower falls in Italy and the Netherlands
The worst of the downturn is over for Europe’s largest outbound package holiday markets, according to latest figures from German market research company GfK. Booking levels for summer 2010 at the end of January were almost unchanged from final summer 2009 volumes in Germany, while the UK was 3.2% ahead of summer 2009. Italy was faring less well by the end of January, down 7.2%, but this was still an improvement on last year, when bookings finished 13.5% below 2008. The January figures also showed the Netherlands down 8.3%. GfK does not offer comparable statistics for the Dutch market for summer 2009, but winter 2009 bookings in the Netherlands were down even more steeply at 13.1%.
Italy’s winter 2009 sales were down 10.1%, compared with a fall of 16.7% for winter 2008. The UK was down 5.9% for winter 2009, against a fall of 6.8% the year before. However, Germany is having a much worse winter season. Its figures fell 7.8% as of January, compared with a rise of 5.4% the previous year. In terms of where consumers are choosing to take their holidays, the big story is the fast emergence of Turkey as a massmarket rival to Spain. This year, it is the second most popular choice for holidaymakers from Germany, the UK and the Netherlands, and is gaining market share fast. Greece is in third position, but is losing market share, as is Spain.
Turkey is making its most dramatic gains in the UK, thanks to a major shift by Turkish resort owners to all-inclusive holidays. The destination is also hugely popular among Russians, where it is the number one choice with a 36% share of the marketplace. Egypt is having a good year as well, with market share gains in the UK, Germany and the Netherlands, while it occupies second position in the destination rankings for holidaymakers from Italy and Russia. Another notable winner for summer 2010 is the cruise sector. Its market share among holidays sold by travel agents has almost doubled in one year in Germany from 4.6% to 8.7% while in the UK, where cruising is even more popular, market share has climbed again from 13.7% to 16.5%. GfK offers further hope for the travel industry with its finding that the trend for late bookings is on the increase in all outbound markets. Last-minute sales in Germany, for example, jumped nine per cent for summer 2009, even though total bookings were down across the whole season. GfK also discovered that Russians book their holidays far later than consumers in Western Europe.
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