Three questions with Dr. Ingo Burmester on winter news and travel trends

Yes, we are currently seeing significant guest growth. In the coming months, we expect around 400,000 additional guests in summer and winter bookings. This is certainly also influenced by the changed market conditions, such as the FTI insolvency. Freed-up guest volumes are currently being redistributed in the tour operator market. And: bookings are being made much earlier again.

In the previous year, the booking lead time for winter vacations increased to an average of three months before the start of the trip. Attractive early booking offers for winter are currently providing an incentive for early bookings: Our early booking discounts of up to 45 percent will further boost bookings. The largely stable prices for the winter are also encouraging.

Absolutely. The popular and attractively priced destinations of Turkey and Tunisia offer plenty of sunshine on cold winter days and are increasingly becoming popular year-round destinations alongside the Canary Islands and the up-and-coming Portugal. The sharp rise in demand is particularly noticeable in the fall and spring – whether among travelers interested in long-term, active, wellness or culture. At the same time, we are recording a high increase in guests on long-haul routes and anticipate a very strong long-haul winter. In addition to the heavily booked long-haul classics such as Thailand, Vietnam, Cuba, the Maldives and South Africa, Sri Lanka is celebrating a major comeback, as are the rising stars Kenya and Zanzibar. For winter, we have also added lesser-known but very exciting destinations to our program, such as the Philippines, Laos, Hong Kong and Bhutan.

We expressly promote the development of new year-round destinations. Against the backdrop of the overtourism debate, we also believe it makes sense to extend the season in popular destinations in order to better distribute vacation flows throughout the year. Extending the season naturally presupposes that the necessary infrastructure – i.e. restaurants, attractions and events – is also offered outside the high season. And here we see that the regions have developed significantly with new tourism concepts, for example with high-quality wellness offers.

Here are the highlights from the new winter programs of the DERTOUR Group tour operators.