Germans Eye India And Vietnam

 India and Vietnam are expected to top the list of popular destinations for outbound German travellers by the year 2015, according to a study released at the ITB Berlin last week.

 The study by Tourism Intelligence International said that the popularity of these new destinations will be one part of a major shift set to take place in German travel as the country's population levels stagnate, leading to virtually zero-growth in the overall volume of travellers but significant changes in where and how they travel.

Presenting the study at the world's largest travel trade show here, TII Managing Director Dr Auliana Poon said that a survey of German tour operators had indicated that India would grow in popularity as it is a versatile destination with many different regions and cultures, backed by strong promotional campaigns and a good value for money factor.

Vietnam was cited for its "sun, sand and sea" potential and interesting culture. It was also referred to as being "similar to Thailand but more individual and pristine."

The study also cited Peru, South Africa and Ecuador as three countries Germans would like to travel to in the future. The study said Germans would continue traveling even though the county's population level is expected to remain virtually unchanged at the present level of roughly 82.5 million, the largest in Europe, and well above that of both France (60.2 million), the UK (60 million) and Italy (58.2 million)

"The total number of German outbound trips (62.9 million in 2007) exceeds the population of any given European country," the study said. "Germans have a huge appetite for travel. It is a basic necessity for them."

Dr Poon noted that a generally good economy, strong Euro, low unemployment levels and a dynamic export sector will continue to drive the travel desire.

However, according to the study's conclusions, the flat population projections will mean that by the year 2015, the number of German travellers will rise only marginally to 50 million and the total number of trips will drop to 61.7 million. This will mean that destinations can expect more competition for a share of a pie that will no longer be growing. "It is clear that destination marketers will have to look beyond the numbers," said Dr Poon.

She noted that under those circumstances, it will become more important to keep an eye on how and where Germans travel, what will they look for in a holiday, and how their behaviour patterns will change.

Similarly, although most Germans prefer to stay in hotels at the moment, increases in family travel would mean higher demand for apartments.

New technology will see a major shift in booking patterns, with travel agencies losing influence to the Internet booking engines, direct bookings with suppliers of services in the destinations themselves and call centres. In terms of demographics, the changing patterns will mean growth in the number of pensioners aged 65+ as well as in the number of "young seniors" aged 50-64.

One critical development will be an extremely high level of environmental consciousness. Asked if environmental protection would play an important role in their travel decisions in future, roughly 22% of respondents fully or wholeheartedly agreed while 60% said they agreed generally or partially. However, asked if they would be willing to pay more for travel for environmental protection, 46% said yes and 23% said no.

Source: HT