Long haul destinations boost German source market this summer 

Hotelbeds Group will attend the ITB Berlin: 7-11 March (Hall 9 Stand 110) 

• Long haul destinations emerge as winners in the growth battle for German travellers – with growth in Asian destinations
• Turkey and Egypt are back in business with high growth
• Overall growth offset by fall in city break trips for cities such as London and Barcelona
• Sun & beach destinations continue to grow, with Majorca remaining top destination

Berlin – Hotelbeds Group, the business-to-business provider of services to the travel industry globally, has announced today –ahead of ITB Berlin from 7-11 March- that bookings measured by room nights from the German source market for its bedbank brands – including Hotelbeds, Bedsonline, Tourico Holidays, and GTA –for this summer are already up on last year and that long haul destinations are emerging as the preferred choice for German holidaymakers.

Hotelbeds Group´s figures show an overall 12% rise in Germans travelling to Asian destinations this summer, led by high growth in Indonesia (Bali) -, Thailand, and Japan – with noticeable growth for Singapore too. Additionally New York, a traditional summer destination for the German market, has increased significantly from last year and is the 2^nd most reserved destination this summer.

German holidaymakers are also flocking back to both Turkey and Egypt, with Turkey experiencing significant growth and Egypt seeing a very high increase in bookings. For example Antalya in Turkey has moved up from 53^rd position to 8^th place as the most popular destination for German travellers this summer.

Despite the overall growth in room nights for Hotelbeds Group´s bedbanks and increase in both long haul travel and bookings for Turkey & Egypt, this growth has been offset by a slight downward trend of European city trips.  In particular cities such as London and Barcelona have seen a drop in bookings.

Commenting on this summer´s German travel trends, Carlos Muñoz, Managing Director Bedbank, Hotelbeds Group, said “According to bookings via our bedbank portfolio Germans are showing higher interest in holidays than this time last year, perhaps reflecting the recent positive economic trends in Germany.

“In Turkey and Egypt a return of political stability and increased security to the region boosted the confidence of travellers and contributed to this recovery after the heavy declines suffered in previous years.

“But long haul travel is once again a trend for German travellers and perhaps this year´s surprise. Asian inbound trips have increased by 12% and Indonesia, Thailand and even Japan are all seeing strong growth.”

Traditional destinations still however prove irresistible for many German travellers, with Mallorca remaining the favourite destination for German tourists, followed by New York, Crete and Las Vegas.