Europe
European Tourism in 2011 – Trends & Prospects (Q4/2011)
January 31, 2012
Brussels – The European Travel Commission (ETC) has just published its fourth quarterly report on European Tourism in 2011 – Trends & Prospects. The following gives a brief overview of the report for the fourth quarter of 2011. The full report can be downloaded from ETC’s corporate website under the link below. • Travel to European destinations in 2011 has exceeded the prior peak set in 2008. • Impressively, 22 of 23 reporting countries show international visitor growth in 2011, ranging from 3% in the UK to more than 20% in Latvia and Lithuania. And 24 of 26 countries show gains in hotel occupancy in 2011. • Total international visits are estimated to have surged 6% last year, while hotel occupancy rates rose 3.2%, indicating that domestic demand lagged behind international demand. • While the travel recovery has been quite robust, signs of eroding gains began to appear, as expected, in the second half of 2011. • Data on visitation and nights from TourMIS (http://www.tourmis.info/index_e.html)... Read More →
Member Press Releases
2011 – A Year of Positive Change for Ireland’s Tourism Industry
January 23, 2012
Overseas visitors to Ireland increased by 7% in 2011 – the first increase in four years, while domestic demand volumes held up well despite a downturn in consumer confidence. Arrivals from mainland Europe are expected to be up by 10%, with arrivals from North America showing an 8% increase and arrivals from Britain up by 5%. This was announced at the launch of its Year- End Review in the Westbury Hotel today by the Irish Tourist Industry Confederation (ITIC). “The estimated results for 2011 mark a turning point in what generally has been a year of positive developments for the tourism industry, including recognition by Government of the role tourism can play in the country‟s economic recovery,” according to ITIC Chairman, John Healy. “It was particularly pleasing that growth in the numbers employed in the sector also returned, with 6,000 jobs added after seasonal adjustments over the last 2 quarters,” he added. “The Government’s reduction of the VAT rate to 9% on most... Read More →
Spotlight: Destinations
UK Tour Operators Face ‘Make or Break’ 2012, Says KPMG
January 18, 2012
According to an article on InAudit.com, tax audit and advisory conglomerate KPMG has warned that many United Kingdom tour operators will go under this year unless they make undertake big strategic changes in their business models. Such changes would be in response to a challenging market environment where money-pinched consumers are flocking to low cost carriers and online bookings, and are to see increases in fuel and air surcharges. Richard Hathaway, KPMG’s Head of Travel, Leisure and Tourism, said: The traditional high-volume tour operating model based on customers pre-booking flights and accommodation packages well in advance is in long term decline as more and more travellers opt for self-packaging online and niche solutions. To survive, operators must ensure that they are flexible and in a position of financial strength. Operators who do not adapt their business model to meet the demands of today’s holidaymakers will face increased risks in the next year, including takeover or... Read More →
By the Numbers
New Research from Amadeus Pinpoints How High-speed Rail Must Evolve to Meet Changing Traveller Demands
December 11, 2011
New research from Amadeus pinpoints how high-speed rail must evolve to meet changing traveller demands • Online survey by YouGov on behalf of Amadeus asked survey respondents in six countries about their future rail travel preferences, to reveal new insights that will inform the new age of rail • Nearly 60 per cent of adults would like to be able to reserve connecting rail travel and other modes of transport in advance when booking their long distance, high speed rail journey Madrid, Spain – Amadeus, a leading travel technology partner and transaction processor for the global travel and tourism industry, announced the results of a pan-European rail passenger survey conducted by YouGov, the leading professional research and consulting organisation. Over 7,000 rail passengers across six European countries – France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom – were polled in the survey which explores traveller expectations and preferences for rail travel as long-distance,... Read More →
Member Press Releases
Baumeler Travel Offers Complete Climate Compensation
December 9, 2011
As of 2012, Baumeler Travel customers can book their journeys knowing they are fully carbon neutral. The voluntary CO2 compensation scheme includes not only the flight but all accommodation, transfers and further touristic services in the country of destination. A wind farm in Turkey and a series of climate audio trails in Switzerland are also supported in cooperation with the non-profit foundation, ‛myclimate’. Baumeler Travel is the first Swiss travel organisation that offers full CO2 compensation to its customers. To this end, the specialist in hiking and biking holidays intensifies its cooperation with myclimate, a world-leading provider of voluntary carbon offsetting measures. Founded in 2002, as a spin-off of ETH Zürich, the non-profit foundation supports climate protection projects for renewable energies, energy efficiency and reduction of methane emission. The complete carbon emission of each Baumeler journey is calculated individually and compensated with 29.90 Swiss Francs... Read More →
By the Numbers
U.S. Travelers Set to Return to Europe – New UNWTO/ETC Report
November 15, 2011
Despite the downward revision of the countries’ economic growth forecast, US tour operators predict US travelers will return to Europe in growing numbers. This is the main finding of a new World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)/European Travel Commission (ETC) report on US outbound travel presented at the World Travel Market with the support of the European Tour Operators Association (ETOA) (London, UK, 8 November 2011). The report offers reassuring insights into the US outbound market, indicating that in spite of the downward revision of national economic growth forecast, US travelers will gradually return to Europe in growing numbers (detailed overview of some of the main findings follows this release). “Although the industry’s focus has turned towards emerging markets like the BRIC countries, we should not forget Europe’s most significant market, the USA,” said Petra Hedorfer, ETC President. “In 2010, Europe attracted 11 million US citizens, a figure expected to rise... Read More →
Spotlight: Destinations
Foreign Investor Interest Crystallizing in $15-Billion Tourism Project in Russia
October 11, 2011
New Agreement Signings Add Impulse to Planned Mega-Development of Caucasus Mountain Skiing, Hot Springs Spa and Caspian Sea Beach Resorts –Cardinal Emphasis on Ecological Sustainability Sochi, RUSSIA – Foreign investors will join Russian political and commercial elite in this southern seaside resort town tomorrow at a high-profile government economic conference to sign the first large-scale international agreements toward development of a sustainable tourism industry in the North Caucasus, Europe’s most unspoilt alpine region. Against the backdrop of the 10th Annual Sochi International Investment Forum, the first ground-breaking deals involving French, Korean and German companies are scheduled to be inked, providing impetus for the stream of international investment that will be required to implement this $15-billion development project. President Dmitri Medvedev announced plans earlier this year to build a constellation of varied resorts spanning the several republics... Read More →
Spotlight: Destinations
ITB Berlin Reports on European Sports Tourism Trend, Hiking & Cycling Top Trends
September 15, 2011
Higher growth than cruises – German tourists keenest on sports – Austria the most popular destination for sporting holidaymakers Sporting holidays are destined to become a winning trend. According to the latest survey of the World Travel Monitor®, commissioned by ITB Berlin, over the last five years there has been a double-digit increase in sporting holidays among European tourists, which has even overtaken cruises, which five years ago ranked ahead of sporting holidays. Germans in particular are keenest on sports, and account for 42 per cent of the nine million sporting holidays taken by Europeans abroad. At 14 per cent the Dutch rank second. In other European markets sporting holidays make up only six per cent or less. Among sporting holidaymakers the most popular destination is Austria, which among Europeans attracts 24 per cent of the market, followed by Italy and Germany, which each account for 11 per cent. During the last five years Germans also preferred Austria for testing... Read More →
By the Numbers
Tourists from Mideast, Europe Are Crowding into Turkey
September 15, 2011
Inbound Turkish tourism is undergoing a major boom, according to a recent Wall Street Journal article by Joe Parkinson, due to the country’s weak currency and its stability compared to neighboring countries in the region, which have been economically disturbed by various forms of political unrest. Istanbul hotels are reporting the highest occupancy in all of Europe, and many conference halls and beach resorts are booked between one and two years out. The latest data on Turkey’s $25 billion tourism industry show the number of tourists—local and foreign—increased by almost 11% in the first seven months of this year compared with the same period in 2010, according to the Ministry of Tourism. And 2010 was a bumper year. The visitors include record numbers arriving from Europe and the Mideast. The crowds are bringing with them a welcome injection of foreign currency. A heavy increase of Middle Eastern tourists has also been noted, with Iran falling close behind Germany and the... Read More →
Member Press ReleasesDiscover France Adventures Acquires Europeds, Expands Opportunities for Guided Group Tours
September 9, 2011
2012 Adventures at 2011 Prices for a Limited Time This Fall SCOTTSDALE, AZ – Discover France Adventures, a French adventure travel company, announces that it will offer 2012 adventures at 2011 prices for a limited time this fall, representing up to an 8 percent discount on some excursions. This offer is good until 2012 rates are updated on all the websites for the Discover France family of brands including Cycling Classics, Pure Adventures and now Europeds, a 30-year-old European bike tour specialist. The merging of the two companies brings under one roof two of Europe’s best-known cycling vacation brands. Loren Siekman, DFA owner, said that heretofore Discover France Adventures focused primarily on self-guided programs but that by bringing Europeds into the fold, the company’s versatility expands dramatically into the guided groups’ excursions arena. “We intend to use the Europeds brand to create and offer more guided trips that will complement our surging demand for self-guided... Read More →
