Tourism is booming
ITB boss: “Travel must not become an elitist good”
November 17, 2023, 5:19 p.m
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Deborah Rothe heads the largest travel trade fair in the world. In the interview she talks about trends, rising prices and the increasing gap between rich and poor in tourism. Rothe calls for more offers for the general population.
You get the feeling that the travel industry is simply picking up where it left off before Corona. People are traveling like crazy again, right?
Deborah Rothe: It’s true that the desire to travel is unbroken. But there are already strong new trends that have been promoted by the pandemic. On the one hand, there are more and more workation offers, i.e. hotels or travel destinations where you can work and spend your private vacation at the same time. A second trend is the high demand for last minute offers. Customers wanted the option for short-term cancellations or bookings, i.e. flexi options until it was no longer possible. That has remained partly the case, and there is also a willingness to spend money on it.
It is clear that traveling, like many other things, has become more expensive. Doesn’t that also endanger the industry’s boom?
It is important that the tourism industry ensures that travel does not become an elitist good, but remains something for the entire population. We see families traveling in business class because they want the comfort. On the other hand, there are families who can barely afford annual vacation. The gap is also opening up in tourism, you have to be honest. We therefore have to find solutions on how we can continue to offer travel so that it is also available to the general population.
Accommodation has become more expensive, flights have become significantly more expensive. How should providers react to this?
Of course, hotels and airlines are also struggling with cost increases. These costs are not passed on one hundred percent to the customers. Attempts are being made to offset these costs in other ways. We see that the sales volume in tourism remains rather stable.
Consistent sales and higher costs – does that mean lower margins in the industry?
That’s partly added, yes.
The advancing climate change concerns us all. However, the travel industry is not necessarily known for making positive contributions. How do you deal with this dilemma?
At the ITB we bring exactly these topics to the stage. We are certainly still at a stage where we need to think about common solutions. The air travel industry, for example, is looking for sustainable fuels for aircraft. Research is in full swing. But we are not yet at a stage where we can completely do without fossil fuels.
This will also take a while.
Deborah Rothe has been leading the world’s largest travel trade fair since January 2023.
(Photo: PR)
Yes, but we see this in all industries. But there are many good concepts. There are hotels that work with green electricity or that have a conscious waste strategy. There are providers who work exclusively with local partners. But of course that also means that it costs more money.
And is there a demand for it?
We see that many consumers, especially in the younger generation, are willing to spend more money on a sustainable option. In traffic or in accommodation. Such an offer is even expected to a certain extent, as we see in studies.
Is this also reflected in the bookings or is it just a verbal commitment?
The trend is only now starting, and we will be able to see in the statistics in the coming years whether this is actually happening or is just based on opinions expressed. However, I strongly assume that the industry must ensure sustainable and affordable offers. Because demand is increasing.
Listen in the new episode of “Zero Hour“
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