,… And other notes on the German travel market.
● A plurality of Germans supports the lifting of all COVID-19 measures for fully vaccinated people by September, according to a recent YouGov survey. In the survey, almost half (48 percent) of the survey respondents opposed a lifting of the general travel warning for COVID-19. Thirty-eight percent thought it was it was right, and 14 percent of respondents did not provide an answer. At the same time, however, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has said that he supports the lifting of all Covid-19 restrictions once a vaccine has been offered to everyone in the country. “When this is achieved, there is “no longer a legal or political justification for any kind of restriction,” Maas told the German Press Agency, adding that he expected this to happen during August.
After a January-through-June of 2021 that can only be described as a lost half-year, some key numbers for the tourism industry’s retail sector were finally bouncing back and the potential travelers who generally make those numbers happen are, well, not that enthusiastic about the possibility of a traditional holiday this year. Following is a sampler of some of the key developments up to the first part of this month.
● What the travel agents are reporting. It was a very good month compared to June 2020. The total invoiced turnover of the travel agencies recorded in the “ta.ts travel agency mirror” in June 2021 is plus 140.4 percent compared to the same month last year. (ta.ts, or Travel Agency Technologies & Services, is a Frankfurt-based research and analysis firm). The rest of the numbers follow:
—The billed tourism turnover shows an increase of 126.6 percent in June.
—Air traffic revenue was up 183.8 percent for the month.
—“Other sales” were plus 88.6 percent.
—The number of tickets sold were up 116.8 percent.
—The turnover from the tourism sub-division cruises was an increase of 201.1 for June.
The graphic version of the report: One doesn’t have to know German to understand the key numbers below. The gold-colored bars show percentages changes from June 2021 vs. last June. The blue colored bars show percentage changes from the first six months of this year compared to the first six months of 2020.
Source: ta.ts travel agency mirror
—Viewed cumulatively, the total billed travel agency turnover in the months from January to June was minus 57.0 percent.
—Tourism declined by 66.5 percent, while
—Air traffic recorded a minus of 58.8 percent.
—“Other sales” show a decline of 28.5 percent.
—The number of tickets sold was down 63.4 percent.
—The cruises segment recorded a drop of 68.5 percent.
—Meanwhile, incoming orders for tourism are up 243.8 percent on a monthly basis, and
the tourism order backlog by travel date up to October 2021 is minus 55.0 percent.
—In the sub-division cruises, incoming orders are plus 157.9 percent in a month-on-month comparison, while the order backlog by travel date up to October 2021 is minus 51.2 percent.
● In a clear sign that the group tour business is re-starting (outbound international travel is still on hold), senior travel specialist Trendtours Touristik earlier this month been offering group tours again. The first trips were to take place inside Germany. This will be followed by bus and later air travel to Italy and Spain. “There is a lot of catching up to do,” Managing Director Markus Daldrup said in an article published by the trade publication Touristik Aktuell, adding, “the demand for travel in the coming year is surprisingly strong.” He explained that, on some days, bookings are already back to 2019 levels.
● We like Joe (Biden): It wasn’t a vote, only a survey by YouGov, but the results show that the view of Germans of their country’s relations with the USA has improved since Joe Biden was inaugurated as president six months ago, succeeding Donald Trump. A YouGov survey of 2,000 respondents found that:
—66 percent believed relations had improved between Germany and the USA,
—19 percent said nothing changed.
—Last year, a similar poll found that just 19 percent of Germans viewed the United States as a friendly ally. That number has jumped up to 42 percent this year.
—The number of Germans who consider the U.S. ill-disposed to their country fell from 27 in 2020 to 11 percent this year.
To see the complete article on the survey, click here.
● TUI Group, which includes the largest tour operator in Germany and Europe, has strengthened its digital platform capabilities through a strategic partnership with Mozio, a travel and transportation technology business. The Mozio transfer inventory has been integrated with TUI’s digital distribution channels, providing TUI partners and customers with access to over 125,000 additional transfer options in more than 125 countries. The partnership continues the ongoing digital acceleration taking place across TUI Group and supports the growth of TUI Musement—its Tours & Activities division.
