Tuesday 8 December 2009

"I'm still standing..."


Despite reports of success within companies such as TUI, tourism companies have, in general, had a very bad year. But the news out today (via a report from ITB) is that it was not as bad as expected, and they are therefore very optimistic for the coming year...

The findings of the ITB World Travel Trends Report are based on the assessments of 60 tourism experts from 30 countries, on a special IPK International trend analysis undertaken in leading source markets, and on core data supplied by the World Travel Monitor, recognised as the largest ongoing survey of global travel behaviour in some 60 source countries. The researchers found that among the most important European markets travel activity had declined strongest in the UK (minus 15 per cent), Russia (minus twelve per cent) and in Sweden (minus ten per cent). Germans undertook five per cent less trips abroad. Austria was the only nation to report gains, with travel activity up by two per cent over 2008...

The ITB World Travel Trends Report noted that this year the travel industry was particularly hard hit by the effects of consumer insecurity. According to the researchers there was a record number of last-minute bookings in 2009. Thus, compared with the same period in 2008, in the first eight months of this year the number of people booking their holiday one week before travelling rose by 18 per cent. By contrast, the number of reservations made in the period from one week to one month before the start of a trip fell by five per cent. Bookings made from one month to three months before travelling went down by 13 per cent, and for three months and more by twelve per cent...

Dr. Martin Buck, Director Competence Center Travel & Logistics, Messe Berlin: “For holiday destinations, airlines, hotels, tour operators and travel agencies, travellers are becoming an increasingly indeterminable factor. Together with demographic shifts, changing lifestyles and technological progress, the recession is changing travel behaviour. Holidaymakers are not showing their hand and last-minute bookings are at a record high. With the economic situation as it is there are huge challenges awaiting the travel industry.”

For this story in full, please go to http://www.traveldailynews.com/pages/show_page/34533-European-travel-industry-cautiously-optimistic-in-the-wake-of-massive-losses

Barticus.

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