Please note: the following information has been compiled from the most important German-speaking Trade Media.
- Gap to pre-Corona sales widens:?the fall months of 2022 did not bring any upturns in travel. On the contrary. As determined by back-office specialist Tats in early December, total billed sales in November are 20.3 percent below 2019 levels, a downward trend: in October, they were still 17.8 percent below pre-Corona 2019 levels, and September ?only“ 13.3 percent below. In particular, tourist sales are now down almost 38 percent after a comparatively ?moderate“ 14.8 percent drop in October. According to service provider Tats, customers continue to book on a decidedly short-term basis. The uncertainty caused by the unclear energy and financial situation in households continues to make customers hesitate.?Read more
- Travel to Germany close to pre-crisis levels:?The international travel industry confirms a significant recovery in German inbound tourism for 2022. This is the core result of the latest Travel Industry Expert Panel of the German National Tourist Board (GNTB). The Travel Industry Expert Panel reveals that from Q1 to Q4, assessments of the current business situation rose from minus 40 to plus 25 (on a scale of minus 100 to plus 100). Business expectations for the coming six months, which had fallen from plus 74 to plus 55 in the course of the first half of the year following the start of the Ukraine war, have stabilized, but remain below the assessment at the beginning of the year due to the crisis.?Read more
- Global risks for travelers are increasing:?Unsurprisingly, the biggest security crisis of the current year has been the conflict in Ukraine. This is reflected in the security level of International SOS’s interactive Risk Map, as parts of Ukraine are now marked with an ?extreme“ security risk. However, despite the far-reaching impact of the Ukraine war, as well as an observed rise in social unrest associated with increased costs of living, the fundamental security risk environment has not changed in Europe, according to International SOS analysts. In Africa, on the other hand, the service?provider says there has been an increase in risk ratings, particularly in the Sahel, where areas of extreme security risk have expanded due to increased militancy. This trend is also evident in Mozambique and other parts of Africa. The Risk Map is an important risk management tool that rates medical and security risks on a five-point scale-from ?low“ to ?very high“ for the medical map and from ?insignificant“ to ?extreme“ for the security map. The card uses a combination of internal and external data analyzed by International SOS‘ team of experts. In addition to medical and safety risk levels, the map offers for the first time an additional category representing mental health conditions worldwide.?Read more
- TUI presents travel trends for the Christmas vacations:?In the latest TUI Christmas Holiday Trend Check, Thailand leads this year’s long-haul country ranking for the Christmas vacations, followed by last year’s winner, the Maldives. Mexico, with the popular Austrian Airlines direct flight from Vienna to Cancún, the Dominican Republic and Tanzania are also in first place. On the medium-haul route, the destination Hurghada leads ahead of the popular Canary Islands of Gran Canaria and Tenerife. The diver’s paradise Marsa Alam, which has only recently been reintroduced into the program, and the Canary Island of Fuerteventura follow in fourth and fifth place.?Read more
- Air traffic reaches three-quarters of pre-crisis level:?According to Iata (International Air Transport Association), air traffic in October reached 74.2 percent of pre-crisis levels based on Revenue Passenger Kilometer (RPL). Compared to October 2021, air traffic increased by 4.6 percent. While domestic traffic worldwide fell slightly by 0.8 percent year-on-year in October – due in particular to renewed travel restrictions within China – international air traffic grew strongly. Iata reports a good doubling of this figure, with an increase of 102.4 percent. In Europe, air traffic increased by just under 61 percent compared to the same month of the previous year – the smallest increase in an international comparison. Capacity rose by 34.7 percent, while the load factor increased by 13.8 percentage points to reach 84.8 percent. Growth was strongest in the Asia-Pacific rum. There, Iata registered an RPK increase of 440 percent – also driven by increasingly relaxed entry regulations. In the Middle East, air traffic increased by 14.9 percent, while in North America it grew by 106.6 percent. In Latin America, the increase was 85.3 percent and in Africa 84.5 percent.?Read more
- Ryanair wants to fill up with more SAF in the future:?Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is a crucial factor for the decarbonization of air traffic, but currently accounts for only a small part of global fuel consumption. The agreement with Shell will potentially give Ryanair access to 360,000 tons of SAF between 2025 and 2030. According to Ryanair, this could save around 900,000 tons of CO? emissions – equivalent to more than 70,000 flights from Dublin to Milan.?Read more
- Fraport takes over security checks:?Frankfurt’s airport boss Stefan Schulte had been fighting for this for a long time, and the time is now set to come at the turn of the year: Airport operator Fraport will be the first in Germany to take over the reins of passenger and hand baggage controls from the German Federal Police. The declared goals are faster and more effective processes at the control lanes, shorter waiting times for passengers, and ultimately greater reliability of the entire air traffic system.?Read more
- SAF production increases by leaps and bounds:?According to estimates by the International Air Transport Association (Iata), at least 300 million liters of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) will be produced this year. Compared to last year, this represents an increase of 200 percent. Optimistic estimates even assume a production volume of up to 450 million liters of SAF in the current year. A comparison with 2019 shows how much airlines are relying on the use of SAF in their efforts to achieve greater sustainability. In the pre-Corona year, SAF production amounted to just 25 million liters, according to Iata, but since then the production volume has skyrocketed.?Read more
- Azerbaijan:?At the 17th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO in Rabat, Morocco, four more intangible cultural elements of Azerbaijan were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Currently, 19 intangible properties and three sites of the country are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Azerbaijani traditions and skills recently included by UNESCO include the traditional production of silk for weaving, Pehlevanliq culture, the storytelling tradition of ?Molla Nasreddin‘ and tea culture.
- Czech Republic:?Czech Tourism is committed to sustainability. This not only benefits environmental protection, but also the digitization of the 100 ski resorts. The neighboring country is defying the current tense global situation, which is also affecting the ski sector, by investing in energy-saving technologies and the further digitization of its offerings. In response to the energy crisis, Czech ski resorts are also investing almost 30 million euros this winter, which will be used primarily for energy-saving, sustainable measures. Other investments promise savings potential for visitors, with funds going into the expansion of self-service checkouts and further digitization.
- Indonesia:?The Indonesian parliament bans sex outside marriage in the future. The new regulations are part of a long-awaited revision of the penal code. They are to come into force after a transitional phase in 2025 at the latest. The law applies not only to citizens of Indonesia, but also to foreigners. ?For example, if a Swiss person enters into a relationship with an Indonesian and the family doesn’t like it, they can report it,“ the South Asia correspondent said, according to ?srf.ch.“ ?Many fear that this can also be bad for Indonesia’s tourism, which is just on the upswing again after the Corona pandemic.“
- Myanmar:?The security situation in Myanmar is tense. The German government sees ?risks“ for civil aviation. The situation in Myanmar is proving increasingly unstable following a military coup in February 2021. Protests in the country are violently put down. The German warning for the airspace over Myanmar is currently still the first of its kind worldwide, but it has a concrete background. On September 30, an ATR 72-600 of Myanmar International Airlines came under fire on approach to Loi-kaw, and the XY-AML was hit by several bullets.
- Namibia:?Despite the consequences of the pandemic, Namibia has managed to increase hotel occupancy to an impressive 80% compared to pre-Corona levels thanks to great efforts together with the various players in the hospitality industry. A trend that gives reasonable hope for the 2023 fiscal year. To date, European countries continue to be the most important markets for Namibian tourism, accounting for approximately 65% of all guests. Of the total 128,968 overnight stays in recent months, 40.5% were accounted for by guests from Germany, Switzerland and Austria, 7.5% by tourists from France and 5.8% by overnight visitors from the Benelux countries.
- Netherlands:?Amsterdam apparently wants to reorganize the tourist structure. The city launches an advertising campaign against tourists who come to Amsterdam exclusively for sex, drugs and alcohol. Sofyan Barki, deputy mayor of Amsterdam, said, according to The Times, ?The goal of the deterrent campaign is to keep away visitors we don’t want. If we love the city, we have to act now.“ Barki aims to focus on cultural tourism, especially since the city has numerous monuments and museums, he said.
- Thailand:?Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Governor Yuthasak Supasorn shared Thalland’s plan to reach 10 million international visitor arrivals in 2022. As one of the speakers at the panel discussion on ?The Recovery of Travel in Asia and the Pacific,‘ Yuthasak highlighted the strategies and approaches the TAT is using to achieve these goals, forecasting a return to 80% of pre-pandemic total tourism revenue.?
- Tunisia:?As the Tunisian Tourist Office announced today, the country bordering the Mediterranean Sea and the Sahara in North Africa, lifts all Covid entry restrictions. This means that entry at all Tunisian airports is now possible again without a Covid vaccination certificate and without PCR or antigen testing. The wearing of safety masks is still recommended – especially in case of symptoms – on all flights.
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