Booking one’s holidays on the last possible moment is still a well-liked trend: some of the world’s most vital travel markets last-minute bookings make up the most important percentage of holidays. Russian citizens chiefly like to book their holidays at short notice (not up to a month before departing). It really is the results of a different survey by IPK International’s World Travel Monitor, which was commissioned by ITB Berlin. One of many top ten international source markets for travel abroad (with no less than one overnight) Russia reported the best percentage of last-minute bookings. In 2012 Russians booked 73 per cent in their trips on the last moment, under one month before departing. The habit of booking trips late has always been popular in Russia. During the last five years the craze towards booking travel on the last moment has remained unchanged and has fluctuated hardly in any respect.
The Italian and Chinese markets also clearly belong within the same category. Unlike in Russia last-minute bookings within the above markets have declined. In 2008 69 per cent of Italian holidaymakers booked their trips on the last moment, whereas in 2012 that figure was only 64 per cent. In China the collection of last-minute bookings fell from 73 per cent in 2008 to 62 per cent in 2012. At 58 per cent and 53 per cent respectively last-minute bookings in Japan and France were comparatively low, although both markets reported a slight upward trend. In 2008 the figure for Japan was 53 per cent and for France it was 51 per cent. At 46 per cent, the German market’s share of last-minute bookings was relatively high. However, compared with other western European countries this figure was below average.
When it involves their next holidays the Dutch wish to make their plans ahead. At 33 per cent the Dutch market reported the very best percentage of early bookings (four months or more before departing). Nevertheless, there’s a shift happening here too: over the past five years early bookings have fallen by 27 per cent. At 29 and 28 per cent respectively, the German and UK markets also reported a comparatively high percentage of early bookings. In Germany last-minute bookings have fallen by six per cent since 2008, whereas within the UK they’ve risen slightly, by four per cent. Early bookings are of only minor importance in Russia, China and Japan. In 2012 only six per cent of Russian holidaymakers and 8 per cent each of Chinese and Japanese travellers booked their trips four months or more upfront.
Commenting, Dr. Martin Buck, director of Travel & Logistics at Messe Berlin, said: “The incontrovertible fact that the numerous source markets report widely differing booking habits could carry a crucial message for all those commercial providers who’re already operating within the respective markets or are planning on doing so. The bright level of discussion in this subject, which in Germany at the very least was going on during the last few years, is a hallmark of the way important the aspect of booking ahead is when buying a vacation. We’re delighted that conducting market surveys of this type gives us the chance to supply the travel industry with much more essential information that extends far beyond the normal function of our show.“