German holidaymakers are increasingly planning and making their own holiday arrangements. According to ADAC Reisemonitor, this year (2010) 61.7% of those polled intend to organize their vacations themselves, 5.1% more than in 2007 (56.6%).
“German behavior patterns have significantly changed. For many people planning and organizing one’s own holidays is a perfectly natural thing. As a result there is a growing demand for information”.
According to the survey, at over 85% Germany is the country with the highest number of people booking their own holidays. The majority of holidaymakers also make their own arrangements for traveling in Europe. More than 50% said they would plan their own trip, with 36% willing to book a package tour within Europe.
Nevertheless, with long-haul travel, such as to the Dominican Republic, 47% of German respondents to the survey said they would book all-inclusive tours, while 31% would make their own arrangements.
Martin Buck, director of the Competence Center, Travel and Logistics at Messe Berlin, the organizer of the ITB World Travel Fair, comments: “Package tours have long been declared dead and buried, but for tour operators they remain the main source of income. Nonetheless, a new pattern is emerging. Tourism professionals are offering new types of travel and creative services, and as a result are reaching people who have their own ideas about holiday trips. Many organizers are advertising holiday modules which can be individually combined, enabling customers to tailor their own personal holiday packages.”