While Dutch guests are increasingly choosing to vacation abroad again, it is German holidaymakers who are discovering the Netherlands more and more. Our benchmark shows a 15% increase in the number of German guests compared to last year. This opens up new opportunities and highlights the importance of focusing more on the German market. Here are 8 tips to help you increase your success in the German market!
To attract German guests, having a German website is the first logical step. Germans are naturally cautious when faced with uncertainty and are therefore more likely to book on a reliable German-language website. Be careful: language errors increase the sense of uncertainty, so an error-free website is essential for your success.
Dutch and German have many 'false friends'—words that look similar but mean something different. For example, 'Meer' in German means 'sea', while 'See' in German usually means 'lake'. Also, 'Ferienwohnung' in most cases means a 'holiday apartment', not a 'holiday home'. So, things can quickly go wrong when translating, not to mention the complexities of German grammar.
For this reason, it is important to have your content written or checked by a native speaker. This helps you avoid mistakes and make a good impression on your German website visitors, which in turn increases the chances of bookings.
Also make sure that texts from your Dutch website are not simply translated, but adapted for the German target group. Holidays in the Netherlands are not 'holidays in your own country' (Urlaub im eigenen Land) for Germans, and information about the distance from cities such as Utrecht or Amsterdam is less relevant to them. On your German website, it is therefore important to show how someone can reach the holiday destination from cities such as Cologne or Münster. Moreover, amounts of money and dates are written differently in German: the euro sign comes after the amount (€250 → 250 €), and dates are written with dots instead of dashes (01-06-2024 → 01.06.2024).
Germans generally need more information before making a purchase. They want to have enough details to make an informed choice. Therefore, ensure that your German website provides comprehensive information about the accommodation, its features, the park, and the facilities.
According to German law, every German-language website must have an "Impressum". This is a separate page containing information about:
*An imprint page is quickly created and with it you can avoid legal problems. Often the Impressum is placed in the footer, for example next to the general terms and conditions.
Germany has different holiday periods and holidays from the Netherlands. This provides many opportunities to fill periods when normally fewer Dutch guests visit.
The main holidays in Germany are the Easter holidays (Osterferien), summer holidays (Sommerferien), autumn holidays (Herbstferien), and Christmas holidays (Weihnachtsferien). In addition, Germany (or parts of it) celebrates other holidays, such as Karfreitag (Good Friday), Tag der Arbeit (1 May), Fronleichnam, All Saints' Day (1 November), and Tag der deutschen Einheit (3 October).
Please note that holiday periods and holidays often vary from state to state. Therefore, it is important not only to know where your German guests are coming from, but also to target the appropriate states. For example, in 2024, Lower Saxony has summer holidays from 24/06 to 03/08, while in North Rhine-Westphalia these holidays run from 08/07 to 20/08, and in Hesse from 15/07 to 23/08/2024.
So it makes sense to target discount offers not only to Dutch but also to German holiday periods. Want to offer a discount for the Dutch summer holidays? Then extend it immediately to the German summer holiday weeks! That way you make the most of the opportunities that German holiday periods offer.
A good example of how to make use of the German holiday periods is shown below. To fill the last places in the summer, we set up a social campaign for Beerze Bulten aimed at the German states, where the summer holidays started a few weeks earlier. This included highlighting scarcity and the relevant period in the adverts to make the message as compelling and relevant as possible.
Keep in mind that German guests may differ from Dutch guests, both in group size and composition. For example, our benchmark data shows that German holidaymakers are more likely to travel with a dog (20.6% compared to 13.4% among Dutch guests) and also more likely to travel with children (46% compared to 42%). Moreover, German guests stay longer on average, with 47% staying between 4 and 7 nights, compared to 37% of the Dutch. 24% of German holidaymakers stay 1–2 nights, compared to 28% of Dutch guests. One factor for this is the longer travel time for German guests, which is often offset by a longer stay. Germans also book their holidays earlier than the Dutch. 48.2% of German guests book 90+ days before arrival; for Dutch guests this is 44%.
For both Germans and Dutch, the age group between 31 and 60 years is the most significant. However, among Dutch guests there is also a large proportion of bookings in the 60+ age group, as much as 22%. Among Germans, this is only 15%. The number of bookings in the under-30 age category is also higher among the Dutch than among the Germans: 8.4% compared to 6.9%.
By the way, did you know that German guests, on average, spend more during their stay than Dutch guests? This, combined with a longer stay, results in higher sales and revenue. Therefore, taking advantage of opportunities in the German market can be very lucrative.
Most German holidaymakers in the Netherlands come from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, which borders the Netherlands. Furthermore, the other federal states in western Germany are relevant, such as Lower Saxony, Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse, and Baden-Württemberg. In addition to North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony is an important market for Dutch parks in the northeast of the country, while Dutch coastal parks also receive many German guests from Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse, and Baden-Württemberg. For these guests, the Dutch coast is easier to reach than the German coast in the north and is, for example, a very popular holiday destination. Few guests come from eastern Germany.
Origin of German guests at parks on the coast of Zeeland and South Holland vs. parks in the northeast of the Netherlands. Period: 23-04-2023 to 23-04-2024.
By knowing who your target group is, you can reach them efficiently with your advertising. Is your park located on the coast? Then target the federal states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse, and Baden-Württemberg. In contrast, a park in the northeast, near the German border, would be better off focusing on Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia. Do you want to attract more German guests? Consider making some accommodation dog-friendly and emphasise this in your German messaging. For an even more targeted approach, you can also focus on your most relevant age groups from Germany.
A great example of how to make use of this information is the following German metacampaign from Z'ANDvillas, a holiday park with luxury villas on the Zeeland coast. This campaign focuses on dogs, targeting people in relevant regions in Germany based on their interest in different dog breeds and similar topics.
Did you know that Germans and Dutch also often differ in their preferred arrival days? Although Friday is, of course, the most popular arrival day for both groups, some differences can be seen between German and Dutch holidaymakers. For example, Germans arrive more often on Thursdays and Wednesdays than the Dutch. This may partly be due to differences in holidays. For example, Fronleichnam always falls on a Thursday and Good Friday is also a day off, so many Germans choose to holiday from Wednesday or Thursday. In addition, Germans are more likely to leave on a Sunday than a Monday. If you do not allow arrivals and departures on these weekdays, there is a good chance that you will miss out on bookings. To avoid this, it is important to offer flexible arrival and departure days.
Again, it is important to take into account the different holiday periods in Germany compared to the Netherlands. Easter, for example, is not only a long weekend in Germany, but also marks an entire school holiday, and in every state schools are closed the week after Easter. This means that many Germans choose to stay only from Monday through Friday or Saturday, and not exclusively during the long Easter weekend from Friday to Monday. If you do not offer Monday as an arrival day, your potential German guests may drop out during the booking process. They will choose a competitor that does offer Monday as an arrival day.
To increase your visibility in the German market and create more brand awareness, it is essential to use German Online Travel Agencies (OTAs). As in the Netherlands, Booking.com, Belvilla, Holidu, Bungalowspecials (known in German as "Ferienparkspecials"), and camping.info are popular websites to book your holiday. However, do not forget other OTAs popular in Germany such as Fewo-Direkt (Vrbo), Traum-Ferienwohnungen, camping.info, or Urlaub auf Pfoten (focused on holidays with dogs). This way, you are easily found by German guests and this creates a "billboard effect."
If you (also) offer camping sites, it is certainly wise to use ADAC PiNCAMP. This is a well-known German camping platform similar to ANWB camping*. If you have a high rating here, you receive an award, "ADAC Superplatz", that you can display on your website. This is a valuable USP that exudes high quality and reliability, which is highly appreciated by German guests. Another example is HolidayCheck. This is another well-known OTA that is frequently used to rate and compare holiday destinations. If you have a good rating here, you also receive an award that you can include in your communications, on your website, or on the wall behind the reception desk.
Such awards are valuable USPs that demonstrate quality and reliability. Especially among Germans, who are generally risk-averse, these attributes are highly valued. For them, these aspects are often much more important than the price or cost of a holiday. Partly for this reason, "social proof" and ratings play a crucial role in this market, as they assure potential guests of a positive holiday experience.
*Since January 2024, the ANWB, TCS Camping and the ADAC Camping GmbH have merged into the PiNCAMP GmbH
It would be a shame if a potential German guest were interested in booking, but ended up dropping out due to the lack of their preferred payment method on your website. For example, iDEAL is not familiar to the average German, and they opt for other payment methods. Therefore, ensure that it is possible to pay with various payment methods popular in Germany on your website.
The most popular German payment method in e-commerce is PayPal. According to a study*, 29.6% of all sales in German e-commerce are paid this way. Other popular payment methods are post-payment with 23.8%, credit card with 20.9%, and 12% via bank transfer. The most popular payment providers are SOFORT, Klarna, and Giropay. Integrate these payment methods on your website so that German guests can pay easily and the booking process runs smoothly.
*Source: EHI Study Online-Payment 2022
When you receive a significant number of German holidaymakers, it is important to give them the same attention as your Dutch-speaking guests. This way, you ensure good reviews and a pleasant holiday experience. Consider, for example, German-language information or brochures at the park and offering German-language entertainment, so German children have as much fun as their Dutch friends. Do you welcome all your Dutch guests with a handwritten note in their accommodation? Then do the same for your German guests. With this approach, you strengthen the bond with your German visitors and build loyalty among your guests.
With these tips, you will be ready for the German market and ensure that your German guests have the best possible experience throughout their entire customer journey. Would you also like to invest more in attracting German guests, but find this difficult or do not have the time? Then have a chat with our Booking Boosters, they can tell you all about German Marketing.