The German tourism industry has made a generally good start to the new tourism year with strong winter sales and healthy early bookings for next summer, according to the latest market survey by researchers GfK.
In December, travel agencies increased revenues by almost 10% compared to one year ago, the GfK survey of 1,200 leisure travel agencies showed. Boosted by strong economic growth this year, Germans are generally booking holidays somewhat earlier than last year when they delayed bookings due to uncertainty over the economic situation.
Revenues from winter bookings (up to April 2011) rose 7.8% last month and are now 14.4% ahead of last year. December closed with a 23.3% turnover rise and November had ended with a cumulated 16.8% increase. January sales are so far 10.3% ahead of 12 months earlier but February is only 2.8% higher. Due to the late Easter this year, turnover for April has soared by nearly 57% while March is down 13.7%.
For summer 2011, German travel agents generated an increase of nearly 10% in December and cumulated sales are now 12.1% higher than at the same time last year. May is down as much as 13% but the following months all show strong growth. June is 30.4% higher, July is up 19.1%, August is 28.1% ahead of last year, and September has a 17% rise. October is down slightly by 3.1%.
In November, travel agents had increased their holiday sales by 8%, with a 15.1% rise in winter turnover and a 13.5% summer sales rise on a cumulated basis.
In contrast to the positive GfK figures, the latest survey of 2,500 general travel agencies by the TATS service company showed a 2% drop in leisure travel sales in December compared to 12 months previously. The 2010 calendar year closed with a 5.4% rise for holiday sales.
21 Gennaio 2011
