According to a study conducted by research organisation Ulysses Web Tourismus, in which 357 tourism managers took part, nearly one-third of total German tourism revenues were generated via the internet in 2006.
Large increase
Online revenues rose to 12.9 billion euros in 2006 compared to 9.45 billion the year before. In contrast, offline distribution through travel agencies or direct sales channels dropped from 28.1 to 27.7 billion euros. The total market grew to 40.6 from 37.5 billion euros. Looking ahead, the study predicted online travel sales would grow to 16.2 thousand million euros this year and to 19.3 billion in 2008, which would be 42% of a total market worth 45.5 billion euros.
Main tour operators
The major development last year was the rapid growth of online sales for major tour operators, who now generate about 10% of revenues through the internet. Specialist operators have even stronger online sales, with nearly 15% online, due to their lack of alternatives.
