As Germany emerges from its economic torpor, the knock-on effect is being felt right across the board and nowhere more so than travel as this week's Business Travel Show in Dusseldorf amply demonstrated
The robust state of Germany - still one of Europe's financial powerhouses even during its stagnant period - has been reflected in an upswing in domestic and international travel - but this time with a subtle difference.
Previous recovery in a classic boom and bust cycle has tended to result in mad dash to conspicuous consumerism as travel users made hay while the sun shone. This time around as Dusseldorf visitors reinforced, there is the beginning of a new awareness of the impact inherent in making trips.
But this is Germany - for so long renowned as one of the Continent's foremost green champions with its recycling tradition and bicycles crowding every city - so what is happening?
Well, Germany, unlike the UK where an obsession with environmental issues appears to have been hijacked by just about every pressure group going, is only now beginning to carefully assess the effect its large and affluent population has on issues such as climate change.
To that end, VDR - the Business Travel Association of Germany - is working on a project, slated for a year-end publication, along the lines of the Icarus concept developed by UK counterpart, ITM.
”We are closely linked to ITM,” said VDR managing director, Hans-Ingo Biehl, ”and we are working on a similar system to that of Icarus. Everyone is responsible for climate change and either this [travel policy] comes from the top so you are obliged to change, or it derives from everyone else.”
”Climate change is starting to be talked about in Germany, but it is very controversial - not everyone is convinced that by reducing travel they can change things.”
But leaving aside who is right or wrong on the scientific reasons for global warming, it is surely right that every player in the travel business takes a hard look at the imprint they leave.
Figures from the VDR show that half a million jobs in Germany alone depend on business travel ” that”s a huge amount of people who owe their employment to business people taking aircraft, trains and cars to fuel their enterprises ” that impact has to be carefully managed on a cost basis, let alone reducing the planet”s temperature.
Germany has an advanced and extremely good value train system, while the proliferation of low-cost airlines - mirroring the UK albeit later - offer an endless series of connectivity possibilities both domestically and overseas. More choice has led to more people travelling, even disregarding any bounce from renewed economic vigour.
The presence of many airlines at the Business Travel Show, along with Deutsche Bahn of course, is testament to how strongly that bounce is being felt. One alliance grouping present, oneworld, said that its bookings reflected sharply improved confidence among German business travellers as market development manager, Philip Lewin explained.
”Our figures are so strong as the German economy is really active now,” he said, adding, ”this is true especially in long-haul, where China, India and Far East [travel] is booming.”
Several travel managers at the show were keen to point out as well, that it wasn't simply the big German hitters such as Siemens and BMW that counted - it was the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) that played a vital role in the German business field as FCM Travel Solutions, head of key account management and sales, Franziskus Bumm outlined.
”SMEs are key to growth - the big corporations can have more problems as they have so many structures and people to organise - they can have 28 local managers and 50 around the globe. An SME is usually driven by the person who is leading it.”
But it is also outside Germany that the power of this market is felt. Jet Airways, enjoying success in the UK, also views Germany as its number two market after Britain, but currently has no slots until next year when it will begin German flights to India.
However, the carrier has established a new hub at Brussels and is looking to attract German passengers to India via Belgium using Lufthansa feeder services. ”Munich and Frankfurt have non-stop flights to India, so it”s hard to say to corporates, fly via Brussels,” said Jet Airways sales manager, Germany, Paul Scodellaro.
”But those from Stuttgart or Hamburg are happier to do it and if the price is right ” our fare is ”2,200 including transfers via Belgium ” their people will travel via Brussels.”
Deutsche Bahn (DB) - a major player in the German domestic market where advanced, high-speed and extremely good value services make rail travel an attractive proposition - formed a key plank of this week”s Business Travel Show.
”We care for our big customers but we have SMEs too - they can be key accounts for us,” said DB sales manager, Sven Kosleck, adding: ”German companies are travelling more but they are thinking about how to travel.”
It's clear from this snapshot that the gloom has certainly lifted over the German travel landscape, but a more thoughtful appraisal is being carried out as to how business people move about. Data from the VDR shows that almost half of all business trips do not include an overnight stay - which clearly has benefits from a travel manager's perspective as well as employee quality of life.
However, of those trips still made, 54% of their cost is down to transport - a rise of five percentage points. Fuel, an increasingly scarce and political commodity, is becoming the focus of travel cost and is one that airlines feel they simply have to impose on customers.
The VDR - not surprisingly perhaps - puts travel managers at the heart of ways to combat ever-rising travel costs and warns that SMEs ignore TMCs at their peril. ”SMEs that ignore travel management become the pawn of the suppliers and hence put profitability at risk.”
This week's show in Dusseldorf delivered an upbeat assessment of the German travel market - a market that is thoughtfully assessing its impact on a range of economic and physical environments. Germany's resurgence can only be good news: the country has become a model of best practice.