Markets look forward to Christmas bonanza

Christmas markets by Matt Bond

Markets look forward to Christmas bonanza

A realistic alternative to the high street

GERMANY’S Christmas markets continue to prove popular with UK holidaymakers and operators are looking forward to a bumper 2000 as the strong pound makes a visit to the country a serious alternative to the British high street.

Feedback from operators suggests with more destinations on offer, Christmas market visitors will provide a large chunk of business in a traditionally quieter period.

German Travel Centre managing director Mohamed Bhimani said since introducing the product in 1995, 40% of its total winter sales are now made up of Christmas market visits.

The German National Tourist Office’s overnight stay figures for December have shown steady increases over the last three years, with numbers for December 1997 totalling 185,547, rising to 233,354 in December last year, an increase of 26%.

Director Rudolf Richter said: “We started to advertise and encourage the markets and it took a few years but suddenly the interest was there. The markets have increased since due to the strong focus on that theme and of course we hope to keep the figures up.”

The markets are not confined to the larger cities and the introduction of lesser-known locations, such as Augsburg, Nürnberg, Lübeck and Rothenburg Ob Der Tauber, has also helped to increase UK interest.

DERbusiness development manager Babette Braun said: “Visiting German Christmas markets has been increasing over recent years and the variety of places on offer gives a different emphasis.”

Cresta releases its Christmas mini-brochure at the beginning of October featuring five German destinations: Cologne, Berlin, Dusseldorf, Hamburg and Munich.

Leger Holidays features Cologne, Heidelberg, Weimar, Nuremberg, Trier and Goslar. Leger managing director Ian Henry puts the success of Christmas markets down to their close proximity to German ferry ports and the fact that a Christmas holiday still falls into the popular short-break market.

Leger Christmas market sales have increased by 45% since 1997 when the operator began featuring them from a base of 4,000 passengers during 1997 to 6,000 passengers in 2000.

Germany specialists Moswin Tours has found that despite the push into smaller and more individual towns, Cologne still ranks as its top destination for UK Christmas market visitors because of its location and easy access for the main ferry ports.

Bremen: visitors to the Christmas markets provide a lot of business in a traditionally quiet period

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Cresta features three nights in Cologne on the banks of the Rhine in its new Christmas mini-brochure released next month. Prices lead in at £218 per person on abed-and-breakfast basis at the three-star Flandrischer Hos hotel for £218. Flights are from Heathrow with either British Airways, British Midland or Lufthansa from travel between November 1 to December 31.

The German Travel Centre offers a one-night break visiting the Cologne Christmas market leading in at £157 perperson for two people sharing. Accommodation is on athree-star, bed-and-breakfast basis with additional nights costing £35. Flights are with British Midlands or Lufthansa, available between November 20 and December 23.

Moswin Tours features the four-star Hotel Pannonia in the small, historical city of Aachen in the far west of Germany starting at £209. The city break is for three nights on a bed-and-breakfast basis and the price includes an hour-long rail journey transfer from Cologne airport to Aachen, with flights from Stansted with Lufthansa.

DERTravel offers the southern city of Munich at a lead-in price of £299 for three nights. Accommodation is in the three-star Amba Hotel situated near the Marien Platz, the mainmarket square, on a bed-and-breakfast basis. Flights are from Stansted with Lufthansa and included in the price aretransfers, a three-day Munich publictransport pass and a Christmas stocking full of chocolates on arrival.