The EU may have brought us closer to having one Europe, but there certainly isn’t one European travel market. The latest report from travel industry research firm PhoCusWright sees the French market staying flat through 2011, with strong growth occurring in Germany. In the United Kingdom, the travel business will continue to tighten. Meanwhile, the mouse-clickers are in Scandinavia, which is leading the charge in online bookings.
The UK, France and Germany dominated the online leisure and unmanaged business travel market in 2008, accounting for 67 percent of all bookings. But, the UK’s position has been eroding and will continue to do so for the next two years. In 2008, it accounted for 31 percent of the leisure and unmanaged sector online, but PhoCusWright forecasts a drop to 26 percent by 2011. Blame the value of the pound for that one: devaluation will contribute to an erosion an actual buying activity. France owned 19 percent of this market in 2008 and isn’t likely to change. The real growth story, among the largest markets, is Germany. In 2008, it represented only 17 percent of the leisure and unmanaged business market … but PhoCusWright expects it to hit 20 percent in 2011.
Online penetration is greatest in Scandinavia, which now leads Europe. In 2008, this corner of Europe passed the UK, with 45 percent of travel booked online in Scandinavia compared to 40 percent in the UK. And, it isn’t slowing down. Click-and-buy is expected to break the 50 percent mark in 2010, while it will take longer for the UK travel market to get there. France’s online penetration is only 30 percent, with Germany at 24 percent but growing.