German Trade Upbeat over Prospects for 2015: Two reliable industry barometers tell us that German tour operators are sanguine about the prospects for business in the coming year. According to this year’s annual fvw dossier, which has comprehensive data from 55 tour operators, a strong majority predicted that their business would grow in 2015. Published annually for more than 40 years by the German travel trade magazine fvw, the 40-page fvw dossier, “German Tour Operators,” is the only public document on the business development of these companies, and also contains figures on their sales distribution structure.
Looking ahead to next year, 40 of the 55 tour operators who provided figures said they expected further growth next year. Most of them (22) expect growth of up to 5 percent, while 15 companies plan increases of 10 percent or more, and only one expects lower revenues. However, 14 declined to make any forecasts, either due to their stock exchange listed status or for other reasons.
The 55 & How They Rate 2015
| Category | Number from the Top 55 |
|---|---|
| Expect further growth in 2015 | 40 |
| Expect growth of 10 percent or more | 15 |
| Expect growth of 5 percent of more | 22 |
| Declined to make a forecast | 14 |
Source: fvw dossier
Positive factors for bookings next year include the absence of any major international sporting event in the summer months and a longer period for the school holidays than the unusually short so-called “holiday corridor” between the 16 federal states this year.
Meanwhile, a survey by the Travel Industry Club (TIC), an association of top managers in the German travel sector, found that as many as 84 percent of managers believed that economic conditions will remain stable for 2015, with 61 percent of them saying the good pay increases and a new minimum wage that became effective this month would mean consumers had more disposable income next year. However, the same percentage (61 percent) indicated that the poor economic prospects in other EU countries such as France and Italy would affect Germany. In addition, managers expected that there would be more strikes by pilots and train drivers next year.
