DER Touristik expects record summer
The travel group DER Touristik is expecting a strong year in 2023/24 in view of a strong increase in demand on the German market. "With Dertour and its sister brands ITS and Meiers Weltreisen, we are currently heading for the best summer we have ever had in terms of guest numbers," said Ingo Burmester, Head of Central Europe at DER Touristik Group on Tuesday. "In addition to the current boom in winter bookings, we are currently experiencing an exceptionally strong start to summer bookings."
Despite inflation and higher interest rates, Burmester believes that travel is strong again, partly due to catch-up effects. Price increases for the current travel year are likely to be in the mid-single-digit percentage range overall. "We are now seeing that all major airlines are increasing prices towards the departure date. This is another reason why it pays to book early."
After the coronavirus pandemic, the industry's turnover also increased significantly due to price increases. However, the number of travelers initially lagged behind.
According to Burmeister, almost three times as many guests from Germany have already booked their summer vacation to date than in the same period last year. Compared to the pre-corona level of summer 2018/19, there has been an increase of 15 percent. According to the figures, the number of bookings for the current winter season is 60% higher than in the same period last year and only just below the pre-corona level. Demand for long-haul travel has risen particularly strongly.
Significant increase in sales in the 2022/23 tourism year
According to Burmester, many sun-seekers are once again booking long-term and taking advantage of early booking discounts of up to 60%. For summer vacations, more than 40 percent of guests are currently combining early booking rates with a flex option from 59 euros, which allows for last-minute rebookings or cancellations.
Dertour and its sister brands, which account for around half of DER Touristik Group sales, closed the past 2022/23 tourism year with sales growth including price increases of more than 20 percent. The trend towards higher-quality travel was also noticeable. The proportion of guests who booked a 4- or 5-star hotel rose by 10 percent compared to the previous year.
"In the coming year, we expect demand for high-quality beach vacations in popular beach destinations to remain strong alongside increasingly individualized travel," said Burmester. According to him, Turkey, followed by Spain and Greece, are currently leading the short and medium-haul segment. According to the information, all-inclusive is still the trend. Those who do not have to pay extra for food and drinks have more control over the costs.
The strong demand on the German market has led DER Touristik to anticipate a record-breaking summer, filled with tourists from Germany. This surge in travelers is also reflected in the increased bookings for summer vacations, which are almost triple that of the same period in 2019 before the pandemic.
With Dertour and its sister brands, such as ITS and Meiers Weltreisen, offering early booking discounts and flexible options, there's a significant rise in sales for the summer season. These measures permit travelers to secure lower prices and maintain flexibility, hence the high demand for summer vacations.
Source: www.dpa.com
