So Pharos sent a research team to the first larger BC2 travel exhibition of the year, CMT, in Stuttgart, Germany (January 16 to 24, 2016). Marketing data could not be more recent, and we are happy to share it with you.
CMT in Stuttgart is very popular among campers, caravan owners, and fans across Southern Germany and Switzerland. The survey was conducted in halls with ferry companies exhibiting, so it’s no surprise that only 9 % of the interviewees plan to travel to a destination where a ferry won’t be necessary.
39.5 % of the interviewees travel in a camper van, 23 % by car, 15 % will be foot passengers on board a ferry only, and 8.5 % bring their own motorbikes.
Almost two-thirds of the sample group decided on the travel destination first and are now working out how to get there and what to do there. However, 12.9 % said that travelling by ferry was a prerequisite for the destination decision-making process. Given the geographic area the interviewees live, in the heart of the European Continent, it is of little surprise that the top 3 most popular holiday destinations for 2016 will be the Western Mediterranean Islands, including Corsica, Sardinia, and the Baleares (24.4 %) followed by the Eastern Mediterranean, mainly Greece (23.9 %) and Scandinavia and the Baltics (21.4 %).
The Preferred Booking Channels of Ferry Passengers
In an interesting split, 39.1 % said they would book all components of the holiday in advance, whereas 29.2 % stated they would only book their ferry in advance and then decide spontaneously. 16.3 % only reserved the campgrounds in advance but not the ferry.
More than half of the survey participants (55.7 %) said they would book the entire journey in advance through an OTA or a high street travel agency if they had access to real-time inventory and pricing. However, the interviewees complained that that wasn’t the case yet. Only 25.1 % are happy with booking each component of the trip individually with the respective service provider and would continue to do so even if travel agencies and OTAs had access to the same inventory and prices. Destination information websites and local tourist authorities are welcomed as information sources, but only 7.9 % would consider booking a holiday through this channel.
Ferry is Exciting
When asked why they decided to travel to a destination that requires at least a part of the trip to be conducted by ferry, 40.4 % answered that ferry rides were a very exciting element of the journey. 33.5 % think ferry travel is also very convenient, and 31 % even said the ferry ride couldn’t be long enough for them.
Less than one-third (29.6 %) considered themselves price-sensitive and felt that ferry crossings were very expensive, and only 2.4 % were even concerned they might get seasick.
So this first reality check of the 2016 holiday booking period suggests people wanted to travel by ferry; price wasn’t the decisive factor – and the only reason ferry companies might not see their revenues growing at the same pace as the rest of the tourism industry because they aren’t integrated with the front- and mid-office systems of those who sell up to 75% of a country’s holidays: Online and high street travel agencies.
If you want to find out how one (1) XML connection can give ferry companies access to those leading travel agency systems—or if you want to connect your travel distribution system to more than 40 ferry companies for real-time inventory and pricing—come see Pharos Datacom at ITB in Berlin (09-12 March, 2016) in hall 18, stand 111. Reserve your appointment with our multilingual team right now.
