Germany is a winner for inbound tourism says bmi regional and Pitchup.com

Biggest inbound market for outdoor accommodation according to Pitchup.com

bmi regional also report increase year on year

They may not be our closest neighbours, but Germany is a hit when it comes to holidays say British tourism businesses.

Figures from outdoor accommodation provider, Pitchup.com, and airline, bmi regional, demonstrate the importance of Germany for inbound tourism, outshining our nearest neighbour, France.

bmi regional’s figures from the past 15 months show an average of 1,500 passengers per month travel into the UK from Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich.  The summer months see the highest influx of travellers with July 2014 bringing in over 2,000 passengers, presumably all looking to enjoy a break in the beautiful British countryside.

Similarly, outdoor accommodation specialist, Pitchup.com has reported that the Germans love nothing more than setting foot on British soil, with the country showing the highest number of bookings on the site after our very own domestic holidaymakers, and 39% more than France.

Commenting on the figures Dan Yates, founder of Pitchup.com said: “Brits will always be the main customers at British sites, but it’s interesting to see that Germany is the next largest with 287 bookings in the past 12 months, up 55% on the year before.  This is especially impressive given the strength of the pound against the euro which one might have thought would have reduced inbound tourism.”

Data from bmi shows Bristol is the main entry gateway to the south west of England, repeatedly a best seller for Pitchup.com, with the majority of the bookings taken for Cornwall and Devon.

The figures roughly match those of VisitBritain which show Germany is the second most popular origin for inbound tourism, representing 10% of all overseas visitors to the UK, with 73% of inbound visitors arriving by air.

A document from March 2015 by VisitBritain shows that Germans praised the British sport, music and culture as driving reasons for visiting the country.  Germans are also most likely to visit a destination that has appeared on TV or in the movies.  The British film industry has firmly put the UK on the map thanks to the likes of Harry Potter and James Bond.*

Paul Sies, Chief Commercial Officer at bmi regional said: “Germany has been at the heart of our business since the launch of bmi regional.  These are key routes for us both from a business and leisure perspective.”

For more information about bmi regional visit www.bmiregional.com. For information about Pitchup.com visit www.pitchup.com.

*http://www.visitbritain.org/Images/Germany%20-%20Mar%2015_tcm29-14695.pdf

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For media information:

Contact Samantha Marsh or Jardine Howlett  at White Tiger PR

samantha.marsh@whitetigerpr.com 07711 265666

jardine.howlett@whitetigerpr.com 07866 508737

About Pitchup.com

Founded in 2009 by former lastminute.com man, Dan Yates, multi-award winning Pitchup.com is a free guide to all types of outdoor accommodation in the UK, Ireland, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Portugal, Croatia, Luxembourg, Austria, Poland and Switzerland.  Pitchup.com, which currently lists over 5,800 sites, provides users with a simple platform in which they can search and book an outdoor holiday with total ease: the customer journey from landing on the homepage through to booking a holiday can be completed in as little as four pages.  The site also goes beyond traditional searches by allowing users to search for accommodation based on more than 80 criteria, such as adults only and campfires allowed, and view nearby events, Good Pub Guide pubs and VisitBritain attractions.  It’s also possible to check out water bathing water quality in the surrounding area with data provided by the European Environment Agency.  Users can also search on the offers page to find the best deals available.

In 2013 Pitchup.com became the first business of its type to launch a bookable mobile app and site, making the site easily accessible to users of mobile and tablet devices.  The mobile site now accounts for 21% of bookings.

Pitchup.com enables users to search for all types of parks and sites from the major brands right through to one-off campsites and unique outdoor accommodation options, which may not have previously had a web presence.

Awards include Best UK Travel Website of the Year at the British Travel Press Awards 2011, and most recently Best Travel / Leisure / Sports / Mobile Strategy / Campaign at the Marketing on Mobile Awards 2014.

About bmi regional

bmi regional operates an all-jet fleet comprising 18 Embraer 135 and 145 aircraft. The airline now operates more than 300 scheduled flights a week across a network of 22 destinations in ten European countries and employs more than 400 staff. bmi regional has held the title of the UK’s most punctual airline for the past nine consecutive years, most recently in 2013. The airline also operates an extensive ad hoc charter business and flies on a contract basis on behalf of other carriers. Its scheduled network includes Oslo in Norway; Brussels and Liege in Belgium; Esbjerg in Denmark; Toulouse, Paris and Nantes in France; Rotterdam in the Netherlands; Bern in Switzerland; Bremen, Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, and Munich in Germany; Milan in Italy; Jonkoping and Karlstad in Sweden, and Aberdeen, Bristol, East Midlands, Newcastle and Norwich in the UK.