New trends in tourism, which is still trying to revive after the pandemic, were presented in a study conducted for the tourist exhibition ITB Berlin. First, the forecast – the truth about the German market was optimistic: it was stated that the tourism sector will reach 80% of the figures in 2019. And “the year in which the level of 2019 will be exceeded” will be 2024.
The trends are as follows:
- Tourists want more flexibility: before the pandemic, the average German tourist booked tours 3 months ago. Now 28% book in 1-3 months, and another 25% in 4 weeks or less. Moreover, the number of insurance against cancellation increased by 10%, and insurance against dismissal – by 20%. The number of online bookings has also increased by 40%.
- Domestic tourism: the German pandemic has led to its widespread popularity. At the time of the book, Germans accounted for 84% of all bookings in German hotels, but now the figure has risen to 94%.
- Tourism is getting younger: the share of travelers under the age of 30 who say they will travel to Germany in 2022 has increased by 25% to 38%. By the way, a total of 72% of Germans plan to travel to Germany within the next 12 months.
- Digitalization: more than half of those surveyed said they were interested in new technologies in their future travels. Including personalized travel tips based on recognition technology, virtual reality and artificial intelligence.
- Work on vacation: “removal” has led to the blurring of the line between vacation and work. Tourists go on vacation, “taking” work with them.
- Further research provides the following figures – in 2022, Germany plans to increase tourism by 46%, including domestic, which will remain the most popular.
- Travel companies are promised a turnover of at least 350 billion euros. In 2021, by the way, it amounted to 260 billion euros. “However, a full recovery is not possible before 2024,” the report said.
Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and political tensions throughout Europe, the Germans also commented on it. According to the UNWTO, they reported that in 2019, Ukraine and Russia accounted for 3.2% of global tourism. In 2019, Ukraine and Russia accounted for 2.6% of the $ 1.5 trillion in travel expenses. The share of European countries was 5.3%. The return of these tourists and funds from the Germans is not expected.
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