- HOW TOUR OPERATORS WANT TO REACH YOUNG TRAVELERS: Attracting young travelers to package tours is the goal of many tour operators. fvw|TravelTalk asked how they go about it. Here is what tour operators are actively doing to reach younger target groups: Alltours is advertising on Spotify. Anex and TUI want to deliver Insta-motifs. Coral Travel relies on bloggers. FTI is trying omni-channel. LMX relies on LMX Individuell and Vtours and Bentour take advantage of platforms such as Tiktok.?Read more
- EARTHBOUND TRAVEL: CUSTOMERS BOOK EARLY AND PRICE-CONSCIOUS: Just like medium- and long-haul destinations, destinations in Germany and neighboring countries that can be reached by land also got off to a good start to the season. This was the result of a survey conducted by touristik aktuell among several major tour operators. These are the main results of the survey: Destinations in Germany are doing particularly well. Families are making greater use of special family offers, early booking discounts and all-inclusive services. Higher-value offers are also rising in customer favor.?Read more
- GLOBAL CRUISE PASSENGER VOLUMES IN 2023 EXCEEDED PRE-PANDEMIC LEVELS: Global 2023 cruise passenger volumes reached 31.7 million in 2023, surpassing pre-pandemic 2019 figures by 7%, according to data released by industry body Clia.? Kelly Craighead, Clia president and chief executive, said: “Cruise continues to be one of the fastest growing and most resilient sectors of tourism, rebounding faster than international tourist arrivals and a strong contributor to local and national economies. Read more
- WHY TOUR OPERATORS AND TRAVEL AGENCIES RELY ON TIKTOK: The short video app is no longer just about dance videos, but also about knowledge, service and politics. Tourism is also part of the Tiktok universe. In a live talk at Counter Place, Urlaubsguru, Schauinsland-Reisen and two travel agencies explained what is important when using the channel. The app is therefore not only of great importance now, it will also play a relevant role in the future - especially for the tourism industry. "The users on Tiktok are getting older and may later also be vacation bookers with us. It's an investment in the future," explained Yesim Tas?z, owner of the TUI travel agency in Schwabach, in the expert talk entitled "Tiktok - Why the channel is more important than ever for tourism" at Counter Place. Read more
- LUXURY HOTEL TRADE FAIR COMES TO MUNICH: The British event company Montgomery is bringing the renowned luxury trade fair Independent Hotel Show to Germany for the first time in fall 2024. From November 20 to 21, players from the independent luxury and boutique hotel industry and other exhibitors from the design, architecture and lifestyle sectors will come together at the MOC, Messe München's event center.?Read more
- "OUR ASIA TEAM CAN HARDLY KEEP UP WITH ALL THE REQUESTS": ?Following the annual media conference of DER Touristik Suisse, CEO Stephanie Schulze zur Wiesch spoke to Travelnews about the past and the future. One of the sales drivers was Japan with a 45 percent increase in demand for the specialist Asia365. And the boom continues: "Our Asia team can hardly keep up with all the inquiries," said Schulze zur Wiesch. Read more
- THE MOOD IN SALES IS DAMPENED IN APRIL: The latest results of the tourism sales climate survey conducted by management consultants Dr. Fried & Partner show a noticeable deterioration in the perception of the current situation. No changes are expected with regard to future demand and earnings. In April, only 47% of respondents rated the current situation in the distribution of travel services as good, compared to 65% in March. At the same time, there has been an increase in the number of those who rate the situation as satisfactory. Their share rose from 28% in March to 44% in April. The proportion of those who rate the situation as poor is now at nine percent, compared to seven percent in the previous month. Read more
- HOW INVESTORS ARE PROFITING FROM THE GREAT DESIRE TO TRAVEL: Despite inflation, Germans often go on vacation and the travel industry is expecting record sales in 2024. We present selected shares, including analysts' favorites.? Business in the travel industry is booming worldwide. Travel portals, hotel chains, airlines and tour operators are benefiting from the desire to travel. Booking.com, TUI and Ryan Air are among the stocks that analysts see as an opportunity to buy. Read more
- SOCIAL MEDIA: AI HELP FOR TRAVEL AGENCIES: Viral Spoon is the name of a Frankfurt-based start-up that uses artificial intelligence to offer a low-cost alternative to social media agencies. Viral Spoon's target groups are diverse, but travel agencies and smaller tour operators are definitely among them. Background: One of the three founders, Paul Kissel, is the son of travel agency owner Alfons Kissel and has known how travel agencies work since childhood. Viral Spoon is now about travel agencies using an "AI social media manager" to keep existing customers informed and possibly even acquire new ones - without having to spend hours every day posting online or tinkering with reels and stories: Instead, artificial intelligence creates individual posts, including branding. Viral Spoon uses the company description and other content from the travel agency's website. At the same time, you can upload your own content or customize or add to the AI's post. Read more
- STRIKES BURDEN LUFTHANSA RESULT BY HALF A BILLION: After the first quarter of this year, the Lufthansa Group has already reduced its profit forecast for the current fiscal year by almost 500 million euros. CEO Carsten Spohr explained in a mandatory statement that the various strikes by Lufthansa employees and employees of system partners had led to the significantly worse result. A smaller capacity increase should now help to improve punctuality for customers, while taking into account delays in the delivery of new aircraft. However, the outlook for the second half of the year is more positive: "In the second half of the year, the result is expected to be higher than in the previous year. Read more
- TWO DAYS AFTER IRAN ATTACK: SWISS FLIES TO TEL AVIV AGAIN: As a result of the escalation, Swiss suspended all flights to and from Tel Aviv on Sunday. It has now resumed passenger flights to the Israeli metropolis, although the situation in the region remains extremely tense. Read more
- FLIGHTS IN ISRAELI AND IRANIAN AIRSPACE POSSIBLE AGAIN: ?Despite the recent tensions and Iranian attacks on Israel, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) does not believe that civilian overflights in the region are at risk, but is nevertheless calling on airlines to exercise caution in Israeli and Iranian airspace. During the military clashes, airspace was temporarily closed by local authorities, but has since been reopened, including neighboring Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon. Read more
- CONDOR: FIRST A320 NEO TO TAKE OFF IN MAY: A spokeswoman for the airline told "touristik aktuell" that the green light for the conversion of Condor's short- and medium-haul fleet is imminent: the holiday airline plans to take delivery of the first Airbus A320 Neo this month. The first commercial flight is expected to take off in mid-May. The first A321 Neo will also be delivered in June. Read more
- EUROWINGS: 600 TIMES A WEEK TO SPAIN: Eurowings is offering a record number of flights to Spain in the 2024 summer timetable. The Lufthansa subsidiary will offer more than 600 flights a week on almost 100 routes to 14 destinations. This is significantly more than before the crisis: This year, Eurowings is offering about a third more seats than in 2019, according to a statement. In a five-year comparison, the number of departure airports and frequencies have increased in particular. Read more
- AIDA CANCELS FURTHER TRANSITS THROUGH THE RED SEA: Aida Cruises has responded to the ongoing security situation for shipping in the Red Sea by canceling its fall transitional cruises to winter destinations. The voyages of Stella and Prima, which were scheduled to sail through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea, have been cancelled. In the interest of passenger and crew safety, Aida Cruises has been forced to cancel the planned transit voyages through the Red Sea, Aida Cruises announced at the request of Reise vor9. The route will be rescheduled for safety reasons, the alternative route will be along the African coast and will take considerably longer. Due to the loss of time, more cruises will have to be cancelled and others will have to be rerouted. Read more
- SPAIN: Spain rehearses revolt against mass tourism with mass demonstrations and hunger strikes Tourism is vital to Spain's survival. But in many places in the country there is growing discontent with the ever-increasing numbers of visitors - including Mallorca. Now the former "oasis of peace" has been hit. Mass tourism is blamed for environmental degradation, traffic jams, housing shortages, overcrowding, price increases, water shortages, overburdened health services and waste disposal. Read more
- SINGAPORE: Singapore's iconic Marina Bay Sands is planning a major expansion. From summer 2025, an additional hotel tower will be built on the resort's Marina South peninsula, featuring a rooftop terrace and an entertainment arena for up to 15,000 spectators. Construction will take four years and the new complex is scheduled to open in July 2029. Meeting space, dining and shopping options will also be expanded. Read more
- IBIZA: Ibiza is celebrating a special anniversary this year. In 1999, 25 years ago, the island was declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco. And for good reason, as a brief overview shows. Ibiza is home to the best-preserved coastal fortress in the Mediterranean. It is no secret that the island is also known for its rich flora. However, the diversity under water, especially the Posidonia plants, also known as Neptune grass, was particularly recognized by the Unesco committee. There are 220 different species in the waters of the Balearic Islands, and the underwater meadows extend over an area of up to 15 kilometers. Read more
- ECUADOR: Ecuador has officially ended the state of emergency declared on January 8. Curfews and restrictions have been lifted. However, the German Foreign Office continues to advise against non-essential travel to Esmeraldas, Guayaquil south of Avenida Portete de Tarqui and Duran. The Ecuadorian Ministry of Tourism confirms that there have been no violent incidents involving foreign tourists. In a statement, it says that "there have been isolated incidents in certain areas away from the tourist circuit. Foreign tourists have not been affected by these incidents. Read more
- HAWAII: It has actually been forbidden to walk on the Haiku Stairs on the Hawaiian island of Oahu for many years. Despite this - or perhaps because of it - the hiking trail is popular with many tourists. Now the steps are being removed. The Haiku Stairs are a tourist attraction, additionally fueled by Tiktokers and Youtubers - although they shouldn't actually be one. It is a steep hiking trail in the Koolau Mountains on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. The Haiku Stairs are also known as the "Stairway to Heaven". The stairs were built by the US Navy during the Second World War. It has been closed to the public for safety reasons since 1987. But that doesn't bother many tourists - even if the climb is quite strenuous. The stairway to heaven will be dismantled at the end of April. This was announced by the Honolulu City Council. Read more
- PARIS: Exactly five years have passed since the catastrophic fire. The historic building in the heart of Paris was partially destroyed. The west fa?ade with the main towers, the walls of the central nave, the buttresses and large parts of the vaulted ceiling, as well as the aisles and choir loft, remained intact. Although the heat, smoke, soot, and extinguishing water affected the church's furnishings, there was no major damage here either. Whether the fire was caused by a short circuit or a construction worker's cigarette is still an open question. In the end, a national commission of experts decided unanimously in favor of a historical reconstruction. Since February 2024, the spire has been restored to its former glory, complete with a golden rooster and a cross. The roof truss has also been completed and the scaffolding is gradually being dismantled. Inside, the focus in the coming months will be on electricity, fire protection, a heating system and, finally, furniture. The French are now eagerly awaiting December 8, 2024, the day when Our Lady of Paris will reopen its doors to all. Read more
- INDONESIA: Parts of a volcanic island in northeastern Indonesia are threatening to collapse into the sea after several eruptions. Authorities are warning of a possible tsunami. The Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) warned that parts of the volcano could fall into the sea and trigger high tidal waves. Thousands of people were evacuated. In total, more than 11,000 people have been asked to leave the area. Tourists should stay at least six kilometers away from the Ruang volcano. Read more
