The air transport and rail strikes in Germany are increasingly putting pressure on the travel industry. “We are certainly seeing the increasing dissatisfaction of travelers and, on our side, of course, the significant extra work in processing, which is putting a heavy burden on our teams,” said DER Tourism Central Europe boss Ingo Burmester to the dpa shortly before the start of the ITB travel trade fair (5th to 7th). March 7th) in Berlin. However, the travel company has not noticed any uncertainty among guests that would be reflected in bookings.
“On the contrary: the longing for sun and beach is currently very great again,” reported Burmester. According to him, the number of guests from Germany for the summer (as of mid-February) is 33 percent higher than in the same period last year. Booking revenue increased by 47 percent. Measured against the pre-Corona year of 2019, the number of travelers from Germany is roughly at the level at that time and the turnover is above that. “So we see demand continuing to increase; travel remains a priority in 2024.”
However, it won’t be cheaper this year: “We are currently assuming low price increases, which will be in the mid-single-digit percentage range,” said Burmester. Many travelers are now making their bookings early again in order to benefit from early bird discounts. During the Corona pandemic, sun-seekers held back from making early bookings because of the great uncertainty.
No subsequent higher prices due to ticket tax
In addition, there is the planned increase in ticket tax on May 1st. “The increase is of course accompanied by higher flight prices,” said the manager. There will be no subsequent increase in the price of flight tickets for the second largest European travel group after Tui. There are also still inexpensive alternatives, such as trips to Turkey or Tunisia.
According to Burmester, Turkey, Spain and Greece are again the top three destinations for holidaymakers from Germany this summer who have booked through the operator Dertour and its sister brands. However, after past heat records in many Mediterranean countries, interest in countries in the north is growing. “Bookings for Scandinavia are increasing significantly this summer and are among the top 10 newcomers on short and medium-haul routes,” reported Burmester.