Summer, sunshine, beaches and the sea… the sort of holiday that has always been popular with the Germans is going out of fashion.
Whereas in 1998 64.5 per cent of German holidaymakers spent the nicest time of the year on the beach, only 58.5 per cent will be booking this traditional form of holiday making in 2011. These are the findings of a representative survey by ADAC Reisemonitor. By contrast, round trips, city travel and cruises are the latest trend.
People on holiday still want to be active, be entertained and have a change“, says Dr. Martin Buck, director of the Travel & Logistics Competence Center at Messe Berlin and responsible for ITB Berlin. “More and more Germans want to experience something new when they are away and would like to get to know a country and its people. This trend is also reflected in the catalogues of tour operators, who have put together new holiday deals and have expanded their portfolio to include round trips under certain headings.”
According to the survey every second long-distance holiday booking has a round trip accompanying it. Even within Europe round trips rank ahead of wellness and health vacations. Among German holidaymakers cruises are another strong growth market. Dr. Buck “For many years the cruise market has been one of the most growth-intensive sectors. It remains a driving force in the German tourism market.“ According to the ADAC survey, since 2002 this segment has experienced huge growth, in the order of 95 per cent. This year 4.8 of German holidaymakers are planning a cruise, over 1.5 per cent more than in 2007. At 29 per cent, Central America, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean and the Northern Cape remain the most sought after destinations, closely followed by river cruises, which at 20 per cent are rapidly growing in popularity. The market for city travel is experiencing major growth too. Since the year 2000 the number of Germans travelling to cities has risen by 53 per cent.
The ADAC Reisemonitor survey is carried out once a year and is presented annually at ITB Berlin. It provides information on trends and evaluates travel patterns among German holidaymakers. 4,000 members of the ADAC were polled in order to obtain data for the Reisemonitor. Among other things this representative trend survey looks at holiday expectations, decisions and destinations in 2011.
