HZ UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES

Zeeland – German Tourists

German tourists should be satisfied about the quality of a holiday in Zeeland

10/22/2012

An essay on

Should German tourists be satisfied about the quality of a holiday in
Zeeland?

University: | HZ University of Applied Sciences | Semester: | 5. Semester | Academic year: | 2012/2013 | Course: | CU10130 - Lifestyle | | | | |

1

*Student: Scaldis Academy:, Department of Vitality Management and Tourism.

Zeeland – German Tourist

Introduction
The number of German tourists visiting the Netherlands has dramatically reduced as compared to a few years ago. This has led to a need to research the cause of this reduction. We as students following the minor lifestyle management are focusing more on how to bring back the German tourists to Zeeland, Netherlands coastal area with beautiful clean beaches and dunes.

Tourism is a way of distancing yourself from every day activities. It is a service-intensive industry that depends on the quality of customers' service experiences and their consequent assessment of satisfaction or dissatisfaction with a service experience. Experience is conceived as conscious awareness and is manifested as precondition for responses to tourist business. The management and performance of service quality is thus of crucial importance to the tourism industry.
In this report the question as to whether Germans tourists should be satisfied with the quality of holidays in Zeeland will be answered.

German's expectation in Holidays
According to a research on consumer demand and operator support for socially and environmentally responsible tourism.
An overwhelming majority of German domestic tourists, (71.1%) and more than half of the
German tourists traveling outside of Germany (59.5%) agreed that an environmental label for tourism is useful. About half of all German tourists (52.8% traveling within Germany, and 46% traveling outside of Germany) reported that they would use an eco-label, if available, in the choice of a vacation.
Referring to the above research, I think it would be more useful if holidays in Zeeland also use eco-labels on their products. It would also help according to me to use both dutch eco-labels and /german eco- labels.

Germans are opting for more luxury holidays which should be environmental friendly and tailored according to their needs. Traditionally, luxury holidays are associated with the image of prestigious consumption of material goods but it should be more focused on unique experiences in the form of vacations. German tourists do attach more value to individualistic nature of their holistic holiday experience.
According to the research of Koch (2009) the market for luxury tourism is growing but remains underserved and poorly understood. There is importance to understand underlying motivations that characterize the luxury tourist segment. 2
Instead of using holidays to manifest social status, customized holiday experiences are seen as a way for expressing one’s individual sense. There is the need for the Germans to choose for an environmental friendly holidays.

The Dutch holiday providers should concentrate on de demands of the Germans in order to attract them again in Zeeland.

There are few factors which could have led to declining of the Germany tourists namely:

 Crisis - financial crisis which has hit the whole world could have led to the tourists going for less holidays. According to Internationaler Bustoic Verban (RDA) almost one in three Europeans (31%) makes as a result of the economic debt crisis – holiday decision to travel to short distances. according to a new and representative study carried out among 7,200 persons in six European countries by German uristonline travel booking platform “lastminute.de”.  Price - The price charged maybe higher than the service/product offered compared to the prices in Germany. Nowadays it is easier to compare the price of the facilities also offered from all places of the world.  Offers of competitors – German’s could have found other countries where they can enjoy their holidays. Recent research says that many Germans are spending their holidays in far countries where the price and the facilities are attractive  Global warming - with changing of the weather, sometimes the summer in Netherlands is not as warm as it used to be. Sometimes it is raining the whole summer.  Hospitality - Germany tourists may not feel welcome in the Netherlands. The Dutch has a stereotype of German tourists which do not match by reality. A German tourist is not as the Dutch often suggesting, 'drinking beer and digging tunnels in the beach'. There is a change of new target group tourists. A lot of Germany youngsters (25 to 35) years are now going for holidays and should also be targeted. This group mostly go with their friends and families so they search for more group accommodation.  Experiences - holidays are focused to the mass tourism and not to the individual needs.
There are not so many tailored vacations which could give people unique experiences. The tourists are mostly offered only accommodations and they have to make their own programs.  Holiday period changes - Nowadays most people are going for short holidays for 3 to 4 days.
Germans may find it too tiring to travel to the Zeeland by car for many hours just to stay for two days and go back home. They may opt for a flight holiday where it takes shorter to travel and have more hours to enjoy.

Considering the above facts we cannot expect the German tourist to be satisfied with the quality of holidays in Zeeland. We have to offer them a better choice so as to compete with the rest of the world and have them come back and enjoy the coastal area of the Netherlands. We have to put in mind that nowadays the Germans prefer eco friendly holidays. "Germans are known for recycling and reusing their natural resources," said Berlin activist Hans Welder. In Germany, more and more systems are going into place to generate energy from wind and solar power. Zeeland has to think of a concept for more environmental friendly holidays and have also to be familiar with the German eco- labels and use them when advertising their holiday packages. Today growing numbers of Germans are opting to holiday at their home country. This is also due to the fact that German travel companies have started to offer more and more eco holidays and they are focussing on their own people.

The following research performed by Sustainable holidays shows that Germanys are opting for more eco holidays;

Interest in Ecotourism among German Tourists
33% of all the German tourists who participated in the original study qualify as Eco tourists.

A very large percentage of German tourists stated they were looking for activities such as “walking in untouched countryside or natural environments” (79%); “seeing wildlife in natural surroundings” (73%) or “visiting environmental/ecological sites” (47%) in a long haul holiday. More than half of the German tourists sometimes plan their holiday around bushwalking-related activities (56%).

Activities participated in on last holiday

Tourists Percentage | Saw wildlife in its natural surroundings 27% | Visited National Parks 21% | Stayed in the wilderness 11% | Visited a rainforest/jungle 7% |

What Zeeland has to offer in tourism
Zeeland which includes all the islands and peninsulas in the southwestern Netherlands (Walcheren, Zuid-and Noord-Beveland,Schouwen-Duiveland, Tholen, St Filipsland and Goeree- Overflakkee) is a farmed agricultural region. There is also fish farming and is surrounded by beautiful beaches and men made dykes. The province of Zeeland is in fact one big river delta of the Rhine, Meuse and
Scheldt. Zeeland is well known for its fantastic beaches, water sport activities and Delta Works. Tours through Middelburg, Vlissingen and Zierikzee are also very popular. These beautiful cities are home to a few hundred unique monuments.

For accommodation there is wide offer of camping’s, hotels, bed and breakfast, hostel and holiday parks with many bungalows and chalets. You can also camp by the farmers. The last days Zeeland has increased camping sites with chalets. Majority of Dutch people prefer nowadays to camp rather than hotel. This has to do with financial crisis where people want to spend less on holidays. It also have to do with the newest trend back to the basic.

The eco-tourism is not as big as in Zeeland. This can be stimulated and the tourists can be encourage to buy their products from the bio-farmers directly. In the villages there are weekly markets where authentic products are sold. There are also local activities where the villagers participate for example horse riding (ring rijden). This is an activity where the person riding the horse has to place a ring when the horse is riding fast. This activity should be made known to the tourists because it is a way of cultural activity and German especially are known to value cultural things.
4

Conclusion
Zeeland Tourism industries have to make efforts in order attract the Germans tourists. The quality of the holiday packages has to be more attractive. Having in mind that the Germans tourists are in favour of eco-tourism and luxury holidays they can change their facilities or adjust as to suit the Germans. In Zeeland there are beautiful villages which the tourism industry can use them to attract tourist. For example they can offer daytrips such as walking from one village to another through the dunes. They can also offer free bicycles so that the Germans don’t have to carry their bicycle all the way to here. With the bicycles the Germans can be mobile and also participate in keeping our environment clean. They can offer also free public transport so that when the tourists are here they can move freely to the other villages or attractions.

Zeeland is now offering free Wi-Fi connection and that is very attractive to the tourists. But many tourism industries do not have websites or their websites are not optimal, not even suitable for mobile internet. Some of the websites are only in Dutch so less attractive to the Germans. They can start by also having German language website. The tourism industry has to work on this because a good website which clearly shows the facilities offered is good for marketing. Germans want to avoid uncertainty according to a guest lecturer, Mrs. Kastner. So the tourism industry should make for them holiday contracts when eventually they choose a holiday package. They should clearly indicate their facilities and even the attractions in the neighbourhood.

At the moment there are reasons why Germans are not satisfied. There are many challenges for improvements, so that in the future, Germans could be satisfied and choose Zeeland as their regular holiday place.

In conclusion we can say that it is the Zeeland tourism industry which should improve their facilities in order for the German tourists to be satisfied and be their loyal guests.

5

Works Cited

Sustainable Travel & Ecotourism. (n.d.). Retrieved from Frommers: http://www.frommers.com/destinations/germany/0224020277.html#ixzz29gcdWWKK Zealand Attractions . (n.d.). Retrieved from Planet ware: http://www.planetware.com/tourist- attractions-/zealand-nl-zld-zld.htm

zeeland. (n.d.). Retrieved from Holland - the official site of Holland: http://www.holland.com/uk/tourism/Theme-1/Zeeland-1.htm Coastal tourism research The impact of demand fluctuation on the quality of service – Tourism Industries http://www.travelersphilanthropy.org/resources/docu Christian Hildebrand, “Probleme, und Tendezen bei der Entwicklung eines einheitlichen Unweltgutezeichens fur das Hotel, und
Gaststattendewerbe, Diplomarbeit, Fachhochshule Munchen, Studiengang Tourismus,” Mai 2000. Zusammenarbeit mit Herbert
Hamele, “ECOTRANS,” unpublished. 2000. Referenced in FEMATOUR, 2000.

6

--------------------------------------------
[ 1 ]. Coastal tourism research
[ 2 ]. The impact of demand fluctuation on the quality of service – Tourism Industries
[ 3 ]. http://www.travelersphilanthropy.org/resources/docu
[ 4 ]. Christian Hildebrand, “Probleme, und Tendezen bei der Entwicklung eines einheitlichen Unweltgutezeichens fur das Hotel, und
Gaststattendewerbe, Diplomarbeit, Fachhochshule Munchen, Studiengang Tourismus,” Mai 2000. Zusammenarbeit mit Herbert
Hamele, “ECOTRANS,” unpublished. 2000. Referenced in FEMATOUR, 2000.
[ 6 ]. http://www.tatsachen-ueber-deutschland.de/en/society.html
[ 7 ]. http://www.tatsachen-ueber-deutschland.de/en/society.html
[ 8 ]. Research enquete- costal business
[ 9 ]. Research enquete- costal business
[ 10 ]. Weather focust.
[ 11 ]. Facts about Germany
[ 12 ]. http://www.scientific.net
[ 13 ]. Sustainable Travel & Ecotourism. (n.d.). Retrieved from Frommers: http://www.frommers.com/destinations/germany/0224020277.html#ixzz29gcdWWKK [ 14 ]. Coastal tourism
[ 15 ]. http://www.tatsachen-ueber-deutschland.de/en/society.html