Millennials add Germany to their bucket list
AS THE youngest
generation with
disposable income,
millennials have firmly
secured their status as
leaders in travel and tourism
and it seems that, for 2017,
Germany – and specifically
Berlin – ticks all the boxes.
Germany’s appeal to
millennial visitors lies mainly
in its growing image as an
arts and youth hub. For
travellers looking for art
events, artisan food, and
hipster coffee shops, it’s hard
to surpass the country.
“We have seen a keen
interest from millennials
for Eastern Europe and
particularly Berlin,” says
Theresa Szejwallo, md of
The Travel Corporation. She
says Trafalgar’s CostSaver
has seen a massive 88%
increase in sales for its
Highlights of Bohemia
product, which is particularly
popular with millennial
travellers.
Independent exploration
Theresa says Trafalgar’s
CostSaver product appeals to
this group, as it offers great
value and gives them muchneeded
time on their own to
include the places and sights
they want to visit, such as
the quirky little coffee shops
in Berlin.
“They appreciate the
culture, food and drink –
especially the local beers –
and often want to experience
the nightlife, which is really
vibrant in Berlin.”
John Ridler, PR and media
manager of Thompsons
Holidays, says it has seen an
increase in younger travellers
buying rail passes to visit
Germany.
“The ease of rail travel and
the frequency of trains make
travel in these countries a
relaxed affair.” He says Berlin
is gaining a reputation with
millennials as there is a huge
music, art and culture scene
year round.
Megan D’Arcy, product
manager of kulula holidays,
says Germany and Berlin,
are still up-and-coming
destinations. “Germany gets
a number of enquiries but
we have not seen a major
increase recently. However,
our Topdeck Tours, which
include several German
areas in the itinerary, give
young adults the opportunity
to discover the destination
and are gaining in popularity.
Travellers get to experience
the exceptional nightlife along
with major historic sites.”
According to Megan, tours
that showcase a specific
aspect of a country’s culture,
while adding some sort of
artisan aspect to the tour,
have become popular with
younger travellers. “For
example, food market tours
– which sometimes have
a cooking lesson added to
them – and beer, wine and
food tastings are very popular
options.
SA slow to embark on Austrian adventures
ALTHOUGH adventure
tourism in Austria has
become popular with
travellers over the past few
years, South Africans are
still very much focused on
Austria’s culture and cities.
Megan D’Arcy of kulula
holidays, says: “While
Austria has amazing naturebased
attractions, the
majority of our enquiries
are still city-based. The
historic sites in Vienna
and Salzburg seem to draw
tourists more and tours
that incorporate both are
very appealing.”
Inge Dobihal of Austria
Connection also says
Austria is still primarily
regarded as a cultural
hotspot, with the main
destinations being Vienna,
Salzburg and Innsbruck.
She says although walking
and hiking holidays are
popular in Austria, there is
little demand for this from
South African travellers.
Inge says the most
popular option in Austria is
to stay in a scenic village
for an entire week. From
there, a different walking
or hiking tour can be
taken every day. “We offer
accommodation in many
such villages.”
Annemarie Lexow, Travel
Vision sales manager, says
although the company has
promoted outdoor and
adventure packages from
adventure operators, not
many were sold.
She adds, however, that
river cruises along the
Danube have been popular
in Austria.
Book it!
Travel Vision is offering an eight-day special to ‘Cycle the Danube’
from R24 845pps, valid for travel between June 3 and September 2
(Saturday departures). The tour takes travellers from Vienna in
Austria, to Bratislava in Slovakia, onwards to Komarom and Budapest
in Hungary. This trip includes breakfast, bicycles and support vehicle
as well as seven nights’ accommodation, entrance fees for excursions
in Carnuntum, Esztergom Basilica and Szechenyi Baths.
Top tips for selecting the best sk resort
AUSTRIA has always been
a popular destination for
avid South African skiers,
as it offers a great variety
of ski options as well as a
fantastic après-ski scene.
It also represents better
value for money than the
most popular resorts of the
French Alps. Everything from
basic holiday costs to lift
passes, ski school, eating
out and partying usually
cost less than the ski areas
in Switzerland and France.
“Austria is, of course,
great for skiing. Virtually
every village in the mountain
area is a ski resort in winter
time. And there are many of
them,” says Inge Dobihal of
Austria Connection.
Greg Taylor, gm of Pure
Tours, says there are three
very popular options for
South Africans in Austria:
Skicircus Saalbach; Arlberg
Ski Area, Sölden; or they
can choose to explore more
than one ski area with the
All Star Card, which gives
skiers access to all the
most popular slopes in Tirol.
Skicircus Saalbach – good for all levels
Saalbach and
neighbouring Hinterglemm
share one of the most
sophisticated lift systems
in Austria, with most of
the cable cars and ski
lifts having been upgraded
during the past year. The
lifts connect over 270km
of ski slopes with great
options for all levels of
skiers. Most are north
facing, which means
greater snow packs in
winter.
Huge investment has
also been made in snowmaking
facilities, which
has made it a guaranteed
snow area, provided
temperatures are below
freezing.
Saalbach has a charming
centre with traditional
cafés, bars, designer
clothing boutiques and a
clutch of four-star hotels.
Arlberg – one of the world’s best
The Arlberg region, also
dubbed the ‘Cradle of
Alpine Skiing’, consists of
five charming villages and
offers more than 300km of
marked runs and 200km for
the more advanced off-piste
skiers and snowboarders. It
is arguably one of the best
ski areas in the world, says
Greg.
The unique combination
of authentic Austrian
hospitality, boundless skiing
pleasure, snow reliability and
traditional après-ski make
the Arlberg one of the prime
ski resorts in the Alps.
The most popular resort in
Arlberg is, without a doubt,
St Anton, which has a great
après-ski party reputation
but has still managed to
preserve its traditional
Tyrolean feel with pretty
wooden chalets, shops and
bars stretching along the
main street.
The skiing is excellent, with
a huge number of pistes; a
lift pass in St Anton gives
access to the whole Arlberg
area, including Lech, Zurs
and Stuben. This destination
is perfect for a ski-hard,
party-hard week – your
clients will need another
holiday to recover after they
get home.
Book it!
Book CostSaver’s Highlights of Bohemia in April, and get R1 250
per person off. This 15-day trip takes travellers across the historic
cultural centres of Bohemia to explore the colourful folklore of
Central Europe. The itinerary includes visits to Berlin's Brandenburg
Gate (pictured), the Warsaw Ghetto and Old Town Square of Prague,
with a stop in the charming medieval fortress of Rothenburg.
Sölden – great snow reliability
Sölden is a high-altitude,
intermediate-friendly ski
resort of international
reputation.
It offers three ski
mountains higher than
3 000m, 145km of
perfectly groomed slopes
and is the venue of the
annual Alpine Ski World
Cup opening. Most of the
pistes are intermediate,
but there are lots of
off-piste opportunities.
Thanks to its high
altitude and its glaciers,
the resort offers snow
reliability from October
to May.
Apart from the
outstanding ski resort,
Sölden is famous for
its unique après-ski
scene with top concerts
and event highlights
scheduled all winter long.
Tirol All Star Card
The Kitzbüheler and Tirol
Alps are among the most
interesting skiing areas
worldwide. With the Tirol
All Star Card, travellers can
visit 25 ski regions and
explore over 2 750km of
pistes, 85% serviced by
snow-making cannons,
900 lifts and 800 huts.
“One of the great
advantages of this card
is that travellers have
access to great slopes
for all levels of skiers.
They can also stay in an
affordable resort while
skiing in expensive areas
such as Kitzbühel,” says
Greg.
