Young Germans are booking their trips mainly online, but increasingly they also value the advice of travel agents, according to a surprising finding from a new TUI survey that also covered current demand trends.
One in three (34%) in the 25-34 age group would like to book travel more often with travel agencies, including for their next holiday.
“This is significant as we were not expecting such an outcome,” Baumert said. The percentage is higher than in the older customer categories.
In addition, twice as many young Germans value the advice of travel agencies compared to the 55+ age group, according to the survey. The advantages of travel agencies are their convenience, according to younger customers.
“We also see that customers who booked with travel agencies are on average more satisfied with us than those who booked online. Perhaps this is also reflected in the survey,” Baumert commented.
Basically, package holidays remain by far the most popular form of travel, as younger holidaymakers increasingly prefer all-in packages, the head of TUI Germany explained. One factor, he believes, is the increasing flexibility of package holidays.
In general, travel demand in Germany remains high, according to the TUI survey. Around two-thirds of respondents plan to travel in 2024. Around 30% have already booked and 34% are planning one or more trips. Of those planning to travel, 70% intend to go abroad, including 80% of younger people. In addition, this age group is more interested in long-distance travel (27%).
The most popular type of holiday remains sun and beach (37%), followed by city trips (32%) and holiday homes (24%).
The Mediterranean remains the top holiday destination this summer, according to Yougov research, which is reflected in TUI Germany’s booking figures. The top spot is Mallorca (+31%), followed by the Turkish Riviera (+29%) and Crete.
In terms of city breaks, these are also growing fast for TUI with a 13% increase. The top destinations are New York, Hamburg and Rome (+41%).
