Germany is a technological leader in Europe, but when it comes to consumer behavior in the hospitality sector many are still luddites.
A Phocuswright study at the ITB Convention in Berlin found that when paying for private accommodations, Germans are more likely to pay offline than through online portals.
In 2011 17 percent of private accommodations were paid for online, but in 2016 the number only grew to 37 percent.
“There is a lot missing in consumer trust and infrastructure to make Germans move completely online,” Phocuswright analyst Dirk Rogl said.
Rogl added that Germany has a stronger tradition of private accommodation rentals than the United States and that online disrupters like Airbnb have to deal with more competitors in Germany than in the United States.
The Phocuswright study also found that Airbnb use was less in Germany than in France, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom, while Germany simultaneously has the largest private accommodation market in Europe.
In the German private accommodation market the owner is more likely to manage the rental of their property rather than go through agencies. Private rentals through owners rose by 11 percent in the last 10 years while private rental agencies have only grown one percent in the same time period.
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