After the Corona crisis, the travel industry in Germany is facing new challenges in view of the high inflation. “2023 will certainly not be a sure-fire success,” said the President of the DRV Travel Association, Norbert Fiebig, on Wednesday in Berlin.
The key question is “how much people will still have in their wallets.” Consumer demand must not break off. According to Fiebig, vacationers also have to be prepared for rising prices for tour operators. “In the medium and long term, the travel industry cannot decouple itself from inflationary developments.”
In the upcoming winter season, customers will still benefit from long-term contracts, explained the DRV President. In the summer season, spending per person and night rose by an average of 15 percent, also because holidaymakers reportedly treated themselves to more after two years of the pandemic.
Thanks to strong demand in summer, travel agencies and tour operators worked their way out of the Corona low. According to DRV estimates, the sales level of the pre-Corona period 2019 should be almost reached in the summer season (May to October) that is coming to an end.
However, the winter season, which was still characterized by Corona travel restrictions, spoiled the balance of the entire tourism year 2021/22. “The significant increase in demand in recent months shows that the travel industry is on the road to recovery, but is by no means out of the woods,” said Fiebig.
For bookings up to and including the end of August, there is still a 14 percent drop in sales compared to the full year 2018/19. A drop of around 10 percent is expected for the entire tourism year 2021/2022. The industry is hopeful about the demand for the autumn holidays, which are still part of the summer season. Spain, especially the Canary and Balearic Islands, is particularly popular in autumn, followed by Turkey, Greece and Egypt. However, the trend towards short-term bookings continues.
“In all likelihood, the forthcoming travel winter will be significantly better than the winter season a year ago,” Fiebig expects. According to data from the analysis company TDA, sales are 74 percent higher than a year ago. Most travel countries, especially on long-haul routes, have no entry restrictions or only low corona requirements. Compared to the pre-corona winter half year 2018/2019, the booking turnover as of the end of August was 33 percent behind.
Fiebig did not make a forecast for the new tourism year beginning in November. “I’m still optimistic about 2023, but the consumer climate must be maintained.” The gas price brake is a good signal to relieve people, now it depends on the exact design.
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