Austria is there with 60 exhibitors. Industry demands a perspective.
“Whether and how you travel depends largely on the possibilities in the pandemic” – tourism expert Martin Lohmann is convinced of that. The travel association DRV therefore calls for systematic corona tests instead of quarantine after travelers return from abroad and more speed with vaccination. That was explained on the sidelines of the Berlin International Tourism Exchange (ITB), which begins on Tuesday.
The takes place online and exclusively for trade visitors (until March 12th). Austria presents itself with 60 exhibitors. The industry demands guidelines and perspectives as to when things can really start again.
Probably lost economically in 2021
Travel agencies and tour operators have largely lost the current year economically, although people are generally in a travel mood. “It would be considered a success if we achieved around 50 percent of the sales volume of 2019 for the travel agency and tour operator market,” said Norbert Fiebig, President of the German travel association DRV, recently.
After the record year 2018/2019, sales from organized travel during the corona crisis fell by 65 percent to EUR 12.5 billion in the past tourism year 2019/2020.
Hesitate
However, the uncertainty about the further development of the pandemic is causing many sun worshipers to hesitate. According to a study, vacation trips are still high on the wish lists of people in Germany, but 38 percent do not yet know whether they will decide to do so this year.
According to the Research Association for Holidays and Travel (FUR), this is more than twice as much as in the previous year. Almost half are planning a vacation trip.
Industry leader TUI is already relying on a restart of the important Mallorca business during the Easter holidays. “The hotel industry has prepared intensively to offer safe and responsible holidays,” said TUI Germany boss Marek Andryszak before the start of the ITB.
Spain normal risk area
There should be a cautious opening on the favorite island of the German citizens, for example with the start of a Robinson Club and the first flights of the group airline Tuifly from the second half of March. Tui canceled trips to the other Balearic islands of Ibiza, Menorca and Formentera as well as most of mainland Spain until mid-April.
Most recently, Spain was classified as a normal risk area by the Robert Koch Institute – that is, a country without exceptionally high levels of corona infections. The industry expects the trend towards holidays in their own country to continue this year.
