After strenuous weeks, the Tourism Insider Team is taking its Christmas break. This will be the last issue of this year.

We will continue with the next issue on Sunday, January 4. 2009, again providing you, our dear readers, with the latest news on the tourism industry.

We wish you peaceful holidays and a Happy New Year.

Joachim Fischer   Ilja Pankow   Max Beier   Antonin Vogt

by Redaktion chd

The out-of-home market Germany has experienced a satisfying year 2008. The latest market volume of 58.6 billion Euros should have risen slightly again, according to first projections.  Gastronomy and lodging (commercial food service) make up the largest part with 41.8 billion Euros – with an average annual growth of 2.8 percent. Community catering accounts for 14.6 billion Euros and grew by an average 1.6 percent in the previous years.

by Redaktion chd

Hotel investments Germany
This year, alone, around 9,000 hotel rooms in 85 hotels in the categories from budget to luxury came into the market in Germany, and for 2009, 174 hotel projects with a total of around 27,000 beds are to open. Openings will include the Mövenpick Düsseldorf (201 rooms) in January, the Hilton Airrail Center, Frankfurt/Main (247 rooms) in February, and the Golf and Wellness Hotel Budersand on Sylt (79 rooms) in May. „The number of hotel projects has recently been corrected downwards slightly, but Germany can still be considered one of the most important locations for hotel development in Europe,“

The social gap between rich and poor is increasingly reflected in holiday planning and travel behavior. In the judgment of ITB Berlin – the world’s leading trade fair for the global travel industry – in 2009, niche segments such as luxury travel, in particular, will again show high rates of growth in view of the international economic and financial crisis. At the same time, the next year will be all about bargain hunting and last minute trips. „No matter if we want it or not – stinginess will be cool again,“ said Dr. Martin Buck, Direktor KompetenzCenter Travel & Logistics Messe Berlin.

Veranda Resorts will take over the Le Telfair Golf & Spa Resort starting middle of December 2008.

With the newly gained hotel, the group expands its portfolio to 686 rooms. Veranda Resorts are thus strengthening their position as one of the most important hotel companies on Mauritius. The two 5-star properties (Heritage and Le Telfair) are now to extend the upmarket section.

by Volker Hasse

St. Nicholas Day saw the start of the winter program 2008/09 „Schnee moves“ in Germany’s largest skiing region, the Allgaeu Tyrol mountains, crossing the borders to the Austrian region Kleinwalsertal.
Our skiing weekend started out with a relaxed breakfast at home in Berlin (it could have just as well begun in Hamburg or Cologne, though), because, thanks to TUIfly, we touched down on the alpine slope Memmingen after about one hour. The small airport offered swift and friendly check-out service followed by a transfer to the two-country skiing region.