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Just a few weeks ago, it seemed as if things were looking up again for the travel industry.
Despite the pandemic, the summer season went well in many places.
And the ski resorts were also preparing for a smooth season, after having to cancel it completely in Austria, for example, during the first pandemic winter. But then the number of COVID-19 infections shot up again, reaching record levels in Germany as well.
Many nations are consequently reinstating tour restrictions. Israel, for instance, is not permitting vacationers into the us of a; the UK has been classified through germany as an epidemic variation vicinity, and the netherlands will remain in a national lockdown until mid-january.
Many that could usually have deliberate a experience now during the height booking period are consequently who prefer to keep their alternatives open in the meanwhile. It’s a fashion in an effort to likely retain at some point of the yr. “we will certainly have to continue to reveal a excessive diploma of pliability and spontaneity while visiting,” tourism researcher markus pillmayer from munich university of applied sciences instructed dw.
Holidaymakers are uncertain and book at the last minute
This is putting a strain on the already struggling tourism industry. Massive revenue losses are looming for yet another year.
If you ask the German Travel Association (DRV) how the industry views the coming year, the answer is “cautiously optimistic.”
Compared to the first pandemic year, 2021 has seen a “clear revival,” DRV spokesman Torsten Schäfer told DW. However, the spread of the omicron variant is unsettling many travelers and increasingly leading to reluctance to make bookings for 2022.
Anyone booking a vacation is therefore doing so at increasingly short notice. Germany’s largest tour operator TUI has also confirmed this. Nevertheless, it expects to achieve “a largely normalized booking level” for the summer of 2022. The traditionally popular vacation destinations in the Mediterranean region, such as the Balearic Islands, Greece and Turkey, are already in demand. Austria, Switzerland and Italy also remain popular, TUI said.
And domestic vacations will also play a major role in Germany, as they have in the past two years. “Holidays at home have experienced a real renaissance,” says tourism researcher Pillmayer. In his estimation, this is a trend that is here to stay. Nevertheless, he says, the domestic tourism industry also continues to struggle with short-term regulations and political decisions. “The general conditions continue to be disastrous for the industry,” says Pillmayer.