News & Stories
Merano. 70 percent of guests in South Tyrol book online today, 20 percent directly via the hotel website. It is also noteworthy that guests' preferred travel time is shifting from summer to spring or autumn. "The season" is expanding. And guests are among those with spending power.
Tel Aviv. Israel's Ministry of Tourism has announced the ambitious goal of attracting 10 million incoming tourists to the country in five years' time, which would be more than twice the record high figure of 4.5 million registered in 2019. Israel is now luring international hotel operators and investors with high multi-million sums and incentives. A mega-pipeline is building up that, if fully realised, would increase the country's room capacity by a quarter.
Amsterdam. The Dutch hotel market is recovering pretty well, with Amsterdam taking the lead. But with 18 million visitors expected this year, the mayor's office is working on new regulations to stop over-tourism, including a tourist tax increase of 30%. Hoteliers are pushing for a tax on day trippers instead and worry business travellers and conventions will be deterred. Both taxes could bite back the destination.
Munich. Munich’s Oktoberfest is enormously important economically for the Bavarian capital in general, but for the hotel industry in particular. Will it be the same again this year? Or are fears of economic crisis and a new wave of corona keeping guests away? It doesn't look like it in the hotel industry.
Andermatt. Egyptian-born investor Samih Sawiris has succeeded in building a new year-round destination in Andermatt, Switzerland. In Dieni on the other side of the Oberalp Pass, his company Andermatt Swiss Alps AG is now tackling a new village section with 417 hotel rooms and a total of 1,800 beds. Massive investments are on the way.
Grünwald/Bielefeld. Almost two thirds of German motorists can now imagine spending their holidays in a motorhome, camper van or even a rooftop tent. Camping is particularly popular among the under-40s. In line with the trend, a young start-up offers booking of private pitches via an app and website.
Berlin. German travellers will have to dig much deeper into their pockets this summer due to inflation and rising prices: they will pay up to 46% more, says a recent analysis.
Amsterdam. Staff shortage and inflation were to be this summer's most significant threats to the success of many hospitality businesses across Europe. But then, corona made a come-back. Facing a surge in infection numbers, four EU countries have decided to keep entry rules tight.
Athens. Greece is leaving corona behind and is strongly pushing tourism now, with hospitality investments apparently impaired only slightly at the moment. The travel industry is heading the country’s economic recovery path. The EU already agreed on the Greek resilience plan last June, chains and investors are coming in now, and Foreign Direct Investment has increased massively. Only 50,000 jobs are missing in the travel industry.
Parma. Tourism was the first industry to be caught up in the pandemic storm, and it will probably be the last one to exit. Travel is slowly starting up again. The first signals for next summer are promising. So much so that the Italian hospitality industry is already seeing a return to pre-Covid levels. But there are setbacks: In Rome, about 180 hotels have not yet re-opened their doors. And Italy is also afraid of impacts caused by the Ukraine crisis. While EU funds promise new financial support, local hoteliers are challenging national bureaucracies.