GERMAN TRAVELERS EXPECTED TO BOOK MORE LONG-DISTANCE TOURS

The travel industry is expecting a successful travel year in 2024, with demand peaking in the coming summer months. The German Travel Association (DRV) expects an average turnover increase of four percent compared to last year for stays of at least one night in the leisure and private travel markets.

German travelers are expected to spend €78 billion on travel services booked before their holidays start, including package holidays and personalized holidays offered by tour operators. DRV president Norbert Fiebig predicts that long-distance traffic will increase significantly.

The evaluation for the new tourism year 2023/24, starting with the travel month of November 2023, is based on the new market forecast prepared by DRV in cooperation with industry experts. In the future, proven market forecasts will be published twice a year, at the beginning of the year and before the summer holidays, along with the latest market data and expert reviews.

More holidaymakers and sales are expected on long-distance routes.

Industry experts predict that the Middle East route, with Turkey and Greece as destinations, will continue to be a positive growth driver for the German travel market throughout the year. According to DRV President Fabeg, Turkey will be one of the most popular flight package destinations for German travelers in 2024.

DRV expects positive growth in long-distance traffic compared to last year, with an 11% increase in passenger numbers and an 18% increase in summer travel sales in the first half. Although some long-haul travel destinations such as the United States, Australia, Thailand and Indonesia are slowly recovering from the effects of the epidemic, the impact on the long-haul travel industry is still expected regardless of domestic economic factors. Consumer uncertainty may have an impact.

German travelers expected to book more long-haul trips

German travelers will not give up on their holidays.

The German Travel Association (DRV) predicts a slight decrease in passenger numbers this year, despite the increase in turnover. Although the number of people traveling with tour operators decreased in 2023 compared to before the pandemic, industry experts believe that the expected decrease this year will not be as large as in 2023.

However, the impact of the federal government’s planned air traffic tax increase on prices and demand is unclear as details are not yet available. DRV president Fabeg sees the planned increase as a social problem, especially for middle-income families and children who may have difficulty paying for holiday trips in 2023 due to high costs. That’s why the federal government shouldn’t make travel more expensive.

Experts believe that most Germans will continue to travel despite the increase in costs. This is supported by tour operators’ good advance bookings for summer 2024, which are already well above last year’s and pre-pandemic 2019 values. Save money by taking advantage of tour operators’ current bird offers.

However, some experts believe that the number of German tourists may decrease this year as general price increases, especially fuel, heating and food, put pressure on household budgets. Experts predict that people will travel less or shorten their stay to save money. More households are expected to focus on one or two major holiday trips. Booking data and expert reviews show that the number of winter breaks and holiday trips will decrease significantly, but demand will be high during the summer months. This decline could have significant consequences for the individual travel market, which is largely geared towards destinations reached by car.