Status: 15/01/2024, 13:56 PM
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Motorhomes in a hall of the Caravan Motor Touristik (CMT) trade fair. © Marijan Murat/dpa
Holidays on four wheels are very much in vogue. Although the Corona boom is over, the industry is still cautiously optimistic about the future. Despite new concerns about supply chains.
Stuttgart - After the highs of the Corona years, business in the caravanning industry levelled off at a high level last year. In Germany, more than 2023,90 caravans and motorhomes were newly registered in 000, the Caravanning Industry Association (CIVD) announced on Monday at the CMT travel trade fair in Stuttgart. This is 0.7 percent less than a year earlier. The decline is therefore due to the lower demand for caravans. New registrations of motorhomes, on the other hand, had increased in 2023.
CIVD President Bernd Löher said on Monday: "2023 was a good year, we have consolidated at a high level. We are cautiously optimistic for 2024." Companies' order books continue to be well filled. The recent decline in the inflation rate also encourages the idea that consumers' purchasing power will continue to stabilise.
"The interest in caravanning is unbroken. I think you can attest to that," said Löher. However, the general conditions would certainly not get any easier in 2024. For example: "We thought we were halfway through the supply chain problem," he said. However, the attacks on container ships in the Red Sea have now taught us better. Recently, manufacturers have had to contend with delivery problems for chassis, so-called chassis.
Association: Up in new production and sales
According to CIVD data, the production of German manufacturers grew by 2023.3 percent in 3. Of the approximately 133,600 vehicles produced, almost 52,000 were exported. As a result, the industry generated sales of 2023.15 billion euros in 3 - an increase of 8.8 percent. The increase is also due to price effects, said Löher.
According to the association, Germany is the most important producer and exporter of so-called recreational vehicles in Europe. Driven by the Corona pandemic and the trend towards individual travel, the caravanning industry has experienced a boom in recent years. In 2020 and 2021, the number of new registrations exceeded the 100,000 mark. After that, normalization began.
The CMT (Caravaning - Motor - Touristik) is, according to its own statements, the world's largest public trade fair for tourism and leisure and runs until 21 January. Around 1600 exhibitors are present in ten halls on the site. Last year, around 265,000 visitors came to the exhibition grounds in Stuttgart. Dpa