Uncertainties cause reduced momentum in German tourism industry

Berlin (dpa) – The uncertainty caused by Brexit and global trade conflicts dampened people’s desire to travel within Germany this year, according to a survey.

The study, carried out for the Federal Association of the German Tourism Industry (BTW), found that German citizens are planning around 0.5 per cent more travel days for the coming year than in 2019.

This means that the momentum has weakened compared to the turn of the year 2018-19, but remains at a positive level.

According to initial data, the number of private days travelled this year fell by 0.5 per cent year-on-year to around 1.704 billion.

Although people made more trips lasting several days (up 2 per cent), they made fewer day trips (down 6 per cent).

BTW President Michael Frenzel said foreign holidays had held up well, but the decline in day trips had impacted on the figures. “The much talked-about ‘flight and cruise shame’ is not reflected in travel behaviour”, he said.

The figures reflect a more generally cautious mood among German consumers.  Exports are crucial for the German economy, and Brexit and international trade conflicts unsettled employees. Against that the buoyancy of the labour market, rising incomes and low interest rates all had positive effects.

The BTW index includes short trips, day trips and multi-day trips – whether visiting relatives in Germany, beach holidays on the Mediterranean, or cruises – and is published twice a year.

The monthly GfK consumer climate index, for which around 2,000 consumers are surveyed, is one of the bases for the index.

The turbulence caused by the bankruptcy of the Thomas Cook travel group in September was not included in the figures. However, major tour operators recently reported a rise in bookings for both the winter and the important summer season of 2020.