Current findings of the GfK Tourism Panel for the 2009 summer season
Nuremberg, July 30, 2009 – Last-minute summer vacation bookings are responsible for the current increase in business in German high street travel agencies.



Although the trend in the past two years in Germany has been towards early vacation bookings, the GfK Tourism Panel is currently observing a tendency towards later bookings – hardly surprising given the tense economic situation. While the last-minute segment accounted for approximately 23% of all bookings in last year’s summer season, its share of business will be considerably higher this year.

In June 2009, almost 40% of booking sales in travel agencies were for trips in June or July. This corresponds to sales growth of almost 9%, or EUR 22.7 million, compared with the same month in the previous year. The number of vacationers booking at the last minute, that is, up to one month before departure, is on the increase. In May and June 2009, the percentage of last-minute bookings in travel agencies stood at 36.3% and 37% respectively, which represents an increase on the same months in the previous year (May +2.1 points; June +1.7 points). Taking into account holidaymakers who booked up to two months before departure, almost two thirds of all bookings in June were for last-minute trips (+3.4 points). However, the overall level of bookings for the current summer season remains below that of the previous year; even the increasing number of late bookings has not fully compensated for this.
Higher levels of spending on last-minute vacations

In the first quarter of 2009, average travel prices were still significantly higher than in the previous year. They were slightly below the previous year’s level in the second quarter, although this downwards trend is not affecting the last-minute segment. Travelers making late bookings paid around 3% more per person per night in May and June than in the previous year, and are spending an average of EUR 476 per person on a last-minute vacation of around 7 days this year. One in three bookings is in the price segment up to EUR 250, and more than 80% of those booking through a travel agency spend no more than EUR 750 per person. However, last-minute bookers are spending slightly more compared with the prior year, with the more expensive price categories increasing their share of business.
Who is benefiting from the season trend?

Germany is the travel destination profiting the most from last-minute German holidaymakers. However, Egypt, Italy and the USA are also receiving higher levels of spontaneous bookings. Although Tunisia, and Turkey in particular, are recording better growth overall than most other destinations as a result of high levels of advance bookings, they are not generating additional sales through last-minute bookings. Greece and Spain are recording approximately the same number of last-minute holidaymakers as in the previous year.
The GfK Tourism Distribution Panel

Analysis is based on the booking data from approximately 1,200 travel agencies, which are representative of the high street travel market in Germany. An average of 340,000 booking records from this continuous sampling enter the GfK system every month, and are used to make projections for the market as a whole. The analysis produced by the GfK Tourism Distribution Panel makes it possible to draw reliable conclusions about the booking behavior of German holidaymakers. For further information, please visit: www.gfk.com/tourism.

Source: http://www.gfk.com/group/press_information/press_releases/004399/index.en.html