ITB Director: "Travel must not become an elitist commodity"

Deborah Rothe manages the world's largest travel trade fair. In this interview, she talks about trends, rising prices and the widening gap between rich and poor in tourism. Rothe calls for more offers for the general public.

You get the feeling that the travel industry is simply picking up where it left off before coronavirus. People are traveling like crazy again, aren't they?

Deborah Rothe: It's true that the desire to travel is unbroken. But there are already strong new trends that have been driven by the pandemic. Firstly, there are more and more workation offers, i.e. hotels or destinations where you can work and spend your private vacation at the same time. A second trend is the high demand for last-minute offers. Customers wanted to have the option of canceling or booking at short notice, i.e. flexi-options until they can't go any further. This has remained to some extent, and there is also a willingness to spend money on this.

It is clear that travel, like many other things, has become more expensive. Doesn't that also jeopardize the boom in the industry?

It is important for the tourism industry to ensure that travel does not become an elitist commodity, but remains something for the whole population. We see families traveling in business class because they want the comfort. On the other hand, there are families who can barely afford an annual vacation. The gap is widening in tourism too, to be honest. We therefore need to find solutions for how we can continue to offer trips so that they are also available to the general public.

Accommodation has become more expensive, flights have become significantly more expensive. How should providers react to this?

Of course, hotels and airlines are also struggling with the cost increases. These costs are not being passed on one hundred percent to customers. They are trying to absorb these costs in other ways. We can see that the volume of sales in tourism is remaining stable.

Stable turnover and higher costs - that means lower margins in the industry?

That is partly the case, yes.

We are all concerned about the progression of climate change. However, the travel industry is not necessarily known for making positive contributions. How do you deal with this dilemma?

At the ITB, we bring precisely these issues to the stage. We are certainly still at a stage where we need to think about joint solutions. The air travel industry, for example, is looking for sustainable fuels for aircraft. Research is running at full speed. However, we are not yet at the stage where we can completely dispense with fossil fuels.

That will take a while yet.

Deborah Rothe has headed the world's largest travel trade fair since January 2023

Yes, but we see that in all sectors of industry. However, there are many good concepts. There are hotels that work with green electricity or have a conscious waste strategy. There are providers who work exclusively with local partners. But of course this also means that it costs more money in some cases.

And is there a demand for this?

We see that many consumers, especially in the younger generation, are willing to spend more money on a sustainable option. In transport or in accommodation. Such an offer is even expected to a certain extent, as we see in studies.

Is this also reflected in bookings or is it just a verbal commitment?

The trend is only just starting and we will be able to see from the statistics in the coming years whether this is actually happening or is just based on opinions expressed. However, I strongly believe that the industry will have to provide sustainable and affordable offers. Because demand is increasing.

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