The travel industry welcomes the rapid agreement on a coalition agreement—an important signal in turbulent times. Decisive political action is needed to address the current challenges facing the German economy.
“The DRV welcomes the fact that tourism was highlighted as one of the few economic sectors in the coalition agreement between the CDU/CSU and the SPD. We are also pleased that our calls for strengthening connectivity and reducing the burdens in the context of insolvency protection through the DRSF have been heard. It is now crucial that politicians act swiftly and implement the planned projects promptly. Travel activity must not be slowed down, and consumer sentiment must not be further burdened,” emphasizes DRV President Norbert Fiebig.
The DRV believes the industry’s economic success depends significantly on the political framework. In recent years, the travel industry has suffered from a multitude of legal requirements and increasing bureaucracy. The DRV President expects the future government to provide targeted support for outbound tourism and thus the international travel business. “It remains crucial to reduce existing overregulation and distortions of competition and prevent new ones,” said Fiebig, referring to the revision of the EU Package Travel Directive.
International tourism, in particular, plays a central role: It forms the core business of the more than 2,300 tour operators and approximately 8,000 travel agencies, as well as several thousand mobile travel agents in Germany.
“The industry generates revenues in the high double-digit billions each year through international travel,” explains DRV President Norbert Fiebig. This makes the international travel business a key economic factor for Germany. “The industry not only secures thousands of jobs in Germany, but also makes an indispensable contribution to economic cooperation with emerging and developing countries, as well as to economic and social stabilization in the destination regions.”
Therefore, the new federal government must also make a targeted effort to strengthen Germany as a location for mobility: “Air transport is a central pillar of the travel industry. If Germany loses its attractiveness as an air transport location, this will have direct negative consequences for the supply of holiday and business travel and further drive up costs for travelers. Policymakers must urgently take countermeasures to prevent negative effects.”
