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In Germany, online hotel reservation is of prime importance. In the comfort, first class and luxury hotels the number of electronic room reservations via internet, CRS and GDS rose strongly in 2008. 73 percent of the hotels gained more room bookings with their own webpage. These are results of a new study of the international market research company for the Away from Home markets, CHD Expert. For the market report 221 hospitality management executives have been interviewed. Third-party booking partner, e.g. HRS.com and hotel.info brought a rising number of reservations for 81 percent of the hotels. In 58 percent of the hotels the electronic room sales via central reservation systems and global distribution systems grew in 2008, too.
"Every fifth hotel in Germany generated up to ten percent of all room bookings via electronic distribution channels. Every tenth hotel gains nearly 25 percent of their annual reservation turnover via internet sales”, reported Thilo Lambracht, managing owner of CHD Expert (Deutschland) GmbH. Online booking is booming – twelve percent of the hotels in Germany obtain nearly 50 percent of their turnover with electronic sales. The number of hotels which concentrate their sales strategies on online channels grow strongly. In Germany use nearly every hotel company online sales channels. “Hospitality business without an internet strategy is history”, Lambracht commented.
Online booking becomes more important for German hotels. Over 78 percent of the general managers expect for 2009 a rising number of electronic sales on their corporate web pages. A growing number of room reservations via booking portals are to be expected by nearly 70 percent of the hotel leaders. Only a minority of the hotel directors (2% and 4%) are worried about dropping bookings on their hotel websites and reservation portals.
The leading booking platform for German hotel is HRS.com (for 59% of the interviewed hotels). Booking.com has been only for 17 percent of the hotels the strongest sales channel in the internet. At third place is hotel.info which brought for 8 percent the most reservations in 2008. Other portals like hotels.com or venere.com are also relevant for online bookings but not as preferred platform.
Regarding all hotel categories, HRS.com remains the leading reservations partner in Germany. For 70 percent of the business and conference hotels HRS.com is the strongest sales partner. At second place is hotel.info (for 13% of the business hotels) and next comes booking.com (11%). Interesting detail – Booking.com becomes more and more important. 27 percent of the leisure hotels and resorts in Germany called it their most important distribution channel. In the category of private owned (individual driven) hotels, 22 percent reported booking.com as leading sales partner.
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On 2-3 April in Windhoek, Namibia
Historic aviation conference between the European Union and Africa
The first ever EU-Africa Aviation Conference will take place on 2-3 April in Windhoek, Namibia. This conference constitutes a historic landmark, with over one hundred participants from all the African countries and all the EU Member States. Representatives of the Commission of the African Union, the European Commission, African regional organisations, national civil aviation authorities and industrial stakeholders will meet together over the two days to lay the foundations for a new EU-Africa partnership in the field of aviation.
Antonio Tajani, the Commission Vice-President responsible for transport said: ‘The Windhoek meeting should enable us to launch a new initiative to stimulate collaboration with Africa in the aviation sector’, adding that: ‘Whilst there are clearly plenty of challenges, we have the duty and the resources to come up with solutions and lay the foundations for a new structured dialogue to tackle all the issues directly and thus stimulate the African aviation sector. It is in our common interest’.
The Windhoek Conference was arranged as the result of an initiative by Vice-President Antonio Tajani and African Union Commissioner Elham Ibrahim to develop closer ties in the transport sector, notably in the field of aviation. It is intended to create a platform for open and constructive dialogue on the future development of the African air transport sector and to pave the way for further collaboration.
All aspects of the sector will be considered, including the most sensitive issues:
– the need to improve aviation safety – a priority for Africa;
– how the African aviation sector can achieve an integrated market in order to modernise civil aviation in Africa and apply the Yamoussoukro Decision of 1999;
– air traffic management and the achievement of a single airspace, comparing and contrasting European and African experiences;
– improving technical expertise in the field of satellite radio navigation;
– environmental protection measures and how to implement a similar policy in Africa;
– the introduction of high-level security measures on the African continent.
The conference will make it possible to establish the framework for this new partnership and to determine the action that will be required to create the necessary structures as swiftly as possible.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
