Prepared for what lies ahead in tourism
Stay up-to-date with current, independent statistics and information on tourism in the Alpine region.
F.acT: From your point of view, what have been the biggest changes in the last 10 years?
Benjamin Buhl: Ten years ago, 41% of travel volume in Germany was booked digitally, today it is 74%. Understandably, there are significant changes in mobile devices and digital booking channels. In 2014, 11% of websites were accessed via mobile devices, but by 2024 this figure had risen to 73%. Surprisingly, the use of tablets has fallen from 19% in 2016 to 3% today. On the other hand, smartphones have increased significantly.
There have also been significant changes in social media, especially among prospective travelers under the age of 18: in 2015, Skype, Google and Twitter (X) were at the top of their list; today it is TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat. This has been helped by the fact that young travelers today choose their destination based on the experiences they can expect and that digital distribution is generally evolving from simply booking accommodation to booking a complete package: bookable experiences are seen as a prerequisite for the travel decision.
F.acT: If we look at the current figures compared to the previous year - what has changed here in particular?
Benjamin Buhl: One trend that goes hand in hand with digitalization is that AI has made significant gains in the inspiration and planning phase of the trip. This also influences another development: traditional vacations with a length of stay of 14 days are less in demand. Instead, several destinations and experiences are increasingly being combined into one trip.
One development is particularly striking: DACH regions in which hosts have responded to the turbulent market conditions of recent years with a moderate pricing policy are recording better advance booking figures than in the previous year. This is shown by analyses by myrate, which we take up in the netzvitamineINFOGRAPHIC.
In Austria in particular, vacation apartments and vacation homes have gained significant market share - both in terms of guest arrivals and the volume of overnight stays.
F.acT: How can alpine tourism businesses, which often have very small structures, deal with these changes?
Benjamin Buhl: Small units can benefit from increasing digitalization and should use the trends pragmatically. The most important prerequisite for success is digital visibility and online bookability without exception: your own website must be AI-compatible, i.e. all content from room and apartment folders must be findable and readable for the digital assistants. The experience orientation of guests can simply be served with a link to the experience store and the event calendar of the DMO or tourism association.
As more and more prospective travelers begin their planning on their smartphones, the company profile on Google will become one of the most important entry points. It should be maintained regularly and updated every three months or so. And in the course of this year, all providers should also familiarize themselves with digital payment options - payment on site inhibits bookings and leads to higher cancellation rates. What's more, stays paid for online in advance actually generate better ratings because the "pain" of spending money during the stay is eliminated.
A tip for hosts with social media-savvy employees or family members: Have them maintain a TikTok, Instagram or Snapchat presence for your establishment. This should not only interest younger guests, but also help to attract young professionals and trainees.
F.acT: Where can I get the netzvitamineINFOGRAFIK?
Benjamin Buhl: All 13 issues are available to download digitally from our website . Due to their large format, however, they are rather unsuitable for printing. But if you would like a printed copy of the current issue, you can send an email to info@netzvitamine.de.