Speech of Norbert Fiebig, President DRV German
Travel Association
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Enthusiasm among Germans for holidaying and travel remains
high and unbroken – the mood remains a positive one, and
figuratively speaking Germans have already packed their bags
for the new travel season.
For my part, I bid you a cordial welcome to this year’s ITB.
As the travel association representing mainly German tour
operators and travel agencies we are particularly pleased that
last year demand for organised travel reached new record
levels.
Let me give you a brief summary of the latest trends and
developments:
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Media contact:
Sibylle Zeuch, Press Officer
Telefon: +49 (0)30 2 84 06-15, E-Mail: presse@drv.de
Responsible fort he content: Torsten Schäfer, Director Communication
1) Turnover among German tour operators increased by
around one billion euros. Overall figures rose by almost
four per cent and reached a new record of 26.3 billion
euros.
2) Cruises in particular contributed strongly to last year’s
growth.
3)
Demand for quality, premium-segment holiday travel has
risen substantially, which means that Germans are willing
to spend more on their holidays,
and 4), we are particularly pleased that visitors travelling
with tour operators rose by 2.5 per cent.
Despite an almost saturated market this shows the advantages
of holidays organised by professional tour operators.
It demonstrates that consumers recognise a quality product that
provides the majority of holidaymakers with a service and sense
of security.
Let us turn to the successful destinations this past year.
Traditionally popular destinations in the Mediterranean again
attracted rising numbers of holidaymakers.
Among the countries in Europe that attracted the most visitors
were:
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Media contact:
Sibylle Zeuch, Press Officer
Telefon: +49 (0)30 2 84 06-15, E-Mail: presse@drv.de
Responsible fort he content: Torsten Schäfer, Director Communication
• Greece, which at 17.2 per cent reported a large increase in
visitors,
• Spain (plus 5.9 per cent),
• Italy (plus 5.1 per cent),
• Tunisia (plus 4.9 per cent),
• Malta (plus 4.1 per cent),
• Bulgaria (plus 3.2 per cent),
• and Turkey, which attracted 1.9 per cent more visitors
travelling with German tour operators.
Thus, countries in the Mediterranean were once again the travel
destinations that attracted the largest number of holidaymakers
during the summer months.
However, it was not only traditional short-haul and mediumdistance destinations that were extremely in demand. Long-haul
destinations also attracted more tourists,
with 2.2 per cent more visitors able to make the dream of a
faraway destination come true.
The following travel destinations were particularly popular:
• the Caribbean (plus 13.9 per cent),
• South America (plus 10.3 per cent),
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Media contact:
Sibylle Zeuch, Press Officer
Telefon: +49 (0)30 2 84 06-15, E-Mail: presse@drv.de
Responsible fort he content: Torsten Schäfer, Director Communication
• and the Indian Ocean (plus 4.5 per cent).
The most popular travel destination among Germans, Germany
itself, along with its neighbouring countries that can be visited
by car, train or coach, attracted an extra 2 per cent of visitors
organised by tour operators.
Last year, compared to 2013, the number of Germans visiting
Egypt declined. The country continues to feel the repercussions
of Arab Spring events in 2011.
Egypt reported a 15.1 per cent drop in visitors, after previously
recording an increase in 2013 over 2012.
Morocco registered 5.6 per cent less visitors, while Cyprus
experienced a 5.8 per cent decline in tourism. Thailand, a longhaul destination, also reported a slight drop in visitor numbers.
So much for developments as far as destinations are
concerned.
As regards the sales of around 9,830 travel agencies in
Germany we are happy to report there was a strong increase in
2014:
At 23 billion euros, overall turnover reached record levels for the
third year running.
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Media contact:
Sibylle Zeuch, Press Officer
Telefon: +49 (0)30 2 84 06-15, E-Mail: presse@drv.de
Responsible fort he content: Torsten Schäfer, Director Communication
This increase was accompanied by a slight rise in travel
agencies mainly selling products from multiple tour operators.
This success is no coincidence.
Only recently, the consumer magazine Stiftung Warentest
published a review confirming that tour operators gave
customers qualified and professional assistance.
The review’s three main points were as follows:
 The price of a traditional package tour is the same whether
sold by a travel agency or online.
 Customers save themselves a lot of time and worry by
engaging the services of qualified personnel,

and the overriding advantage of travel agencies is the
individual advice their employees offer. They provide
customers with extra information that is helpful and
important, for example on travel regulations as well as
health tips.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Those were the figures for 2014 and the forecast for the
upcoming travel season in 2015 gives us cause for optimism
too.
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Media contact:
Sibylle Zeuch, Press Officer
Telefon: +49 (0)30 2 84 06-15, E-Mail: presse@drv.de
Responsible fort he content: Torsten Schäfer, Director Communication
Early booking levels are high, which naturally is also due to tour
operators giving discounts.
One of last year’s trends is much in evidence and repeating
itself: Germans book their summer holidays a long time in
advance and even earlier every time they do so.
According to figures calculated by the market research institute
GfK, by the end of January cumulative growth in turnover had
reached five per cent.
Against the backdrop of a stable economy we are confident that
both the tour operator and sales markets will continue to grow.
At present, compared to last year holiday bookings for Egypt
are high, with increases reported in the order of double digits.
Greece and the Balearics have also registered growth in
bookings in the order of double and single digits respectively.
Once again, this shows that German travel enthusiasm remains
unbroken.
The majority of Germans are eager to go on holiday, relax and
explore cultures and regions.
And no crises around the world will change that.
Interestingly, crises usually only have a short-term effect,
leading to tourists travelling elsewhere for a certain period.
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Media contact:
Sibylle Zeuch, Press Officer
Telefon: +49 (0)30 2 84 06-15, E-Mail: presse@drv.de
Responsible fort he content: Torsten Schäfer, Director Communication
Take the Canaries for example: last winter the islands clearly
benefited from a decline in bookings for Egypt.
In the long term travel destinations recover even after major
turmoil and disasters. I can name two examples:
Example 1 - Tunisia: in the wake of the Arab Spring the country
suffered an almost 50 per cent decline in visitors from Germany.
However, it is now experiencing continuous growth and is well
on the way to pre-crisis tourist levels.
Example 2 - Sri Lanka: visitors stayed away after the country
was hit by the 2004 tsunami and because of political conflicts.
The result was a significant drop in tourism. Since 2010 visitor
numbers from Germany have tripled and risen significantly to
over 100,000, with no end to growth in sight.
At this point let me briefly touch upon a hotly debated subject:
general developments as far as prices and exchange rates are
concerned, the fall of the euro against the dollar and the
decoupling of the Swiss franc from the euro exchange rate.
With summer holiday bookings now peaking, tour operators are
able to take advantage of the current trend in prices and
exchange rates.
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Media contact:
Sibylle Zeuch, Press Officer
Telefon: +49 (0)30 2 84 06-15, E-Mail: presse@drv.de
Responsible fort he content: Torsten Schäfer, Director Communication
Travel agencies can offer catalogue-listed all-inclusive
packages at favourable rates as tour operators are usually
insured against fluctuating exchange rates.
Individual services such as flights, hotels and car hire which
customers can order separately at short notice often cost
significantly more than the all-inclusive packages of tour
operators. Consequently, customers who book with tour
operators are at a distinct advantage.
With that, I would like to conclude this summary of results and
trends regarding the German travel market and will gladly take
your questions.
Thank you for your attention.
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Media contact:
Sibylle Zeuch, Press Officer
Telefon: +49 (0)30 2 84 06-15, E-Mail: presse@drv.de
Responsible fort he content: Torsten Schäfer, Director Communication