Annual Report 2014/2015

The strong network for coach & group tourism

Contents

ContentsPreface 4

TheRDA2015 5

PoliticalRepresentationofCoachTourismInterests 6

RDA-Workshop 8

Acommonoutlook 10

ExpertKnow-how 12

SafetyInitiatives 14

RDAAcademy 15

MarketTrends 16

Atyourservice!RDAandPartners 18

Imprint 19We will be more than happy to assist you with your travel plans:

Magdeburg Marketing Kongress und Tourismus GmbHDomplatz 1b . 39104 Magdeburg . GermanyContact: Kathrin Hoffmann . Tel. +49 (0) 391 - 8380118hoffmann@magdeburg-tourist.de

Take advantage of our know-how for your perfect Magdeburg experience!

magdeburg

You can find out more about Magdeburg, the City of Otto, at:

www.magdeburg-tourist.de

the city of otto

RDA2_eng.indd 1 23.06.2015 11:51:07

MAGDEBURG

GERN UNTERSTÜTZEN WIR SIE BEI IHRER REISEPLANUNG:Magdeburg Marketing Kongress und Tourismus GmbH Domplatz 1b . 39104 Magdeburg Astrid Dankworth . Tel. 03 91 - 83 80 118 . dankworth@magdeburg-tourist.de

Nutzen Sie unser Know-How fürIhr perfektes Magdeburg-Erlebnis!

Sehenswürdigkeiten

Gastronomie

Freizeit

OTTOSTADT

Infos zur Ottostadt Magdeburg erhalten Sie hier:

www.magdeburg-tourist.de

MAGDEBURG

GERN UNTERSTÜTZEN WIR SIE BEI IHRER REISEPLANUNG:Magdeburg Marketing Kongress und Tourismus GmbH Domplatz 1b . 39104 Magdeburg Astrid Dankworth . Tel. 03 91 - 83 80 118 . dankworth@magdeburg-tourist.de

Nutzen Sie unser Know-How fürIhr perfektes Magdeburg-Erlebnis!

Sehenswürdigkeiten

Gastronomie

Freizeit

OTTOSTADT

Infos zur Ottostadt Magdeburg erhalten Sie hier:

www.magdeburg-tourist.de

The RDA

5

Heinrich MartiVice-President

Oliver GröpperBoardMember

Bernhard KirschbaumTreasurer

Hannes StagglBoardMember

Benedikt EsserBoardMember

Dieter GaufCEORDAandManagingDirectorRDA-WorkshopTouristik-ServiceGmbH

Manfred SchürmannChairperson

Konrad Behringer, CommitteeMemberRichard Eberhardt, CommitteeMemberDieter Hütte, CommitteeMemberHelge Unruh, CommitteeMemberHans Schloemer, HonoraryCommitteeMember

RDA Legal Committee Tourism Advisory CommitteeNew Markets and Strategies WorkgroupIncoming WorkgroupHistorical Omnibuses Workgroup

RDA-Workshop Touristik-Service GmbH Advisory Committee

Committees

4

Preface

Dear Colleagues,Coachholidaysarenotobsolete.Theyarenotonlyingreatdemandamongseniorcitizensandculturaltravellersbutarehighlypopularwithyoungpeople-thanksinparttoimageenhancementsresultingfromtheliberalisationoflong-distancecoachservicestransportinGermany.Admittedly,thistrendcouldalsoleadtosomefragmentationoftraditionalcoachpackageholidaytours.

Thecoachtourismsectorisalsobeingtransformedintimesofadvancedglobalisation.Customersareincreasinglyrequestingoffersthatcombinethecoachwithamixofothertransportationmodes.Oneofourcoretasksisthepreparationanddevelopmentofsuchmarketsforourmembers.WiththeRDA-WorkshopinJulyinCologne,weofferyouasoundB2Bplatformcoveringallaspectsofthecoachandgrouptourismsectors–withpersonalface-to-facecontactsbeingasimportanttodayaseverbefore.

Astablebusinessenvironmentandfaircompetitionaredecisiveforourmembership.Wearelobbyingforsuchconditionswithallourenergy.RDAconcernsresonatewithbothGermanandEUpoliticians.Wehavealsospreadoutourwingsinaninternationalnetwork,withourRDArepresentativeofficeinBrusselsandtheEuropeanAllianceforCoachTourism(EACT).WeareactingdecisivelyatalllevelsregardinglocalGermantaxationonhotelservices;roadtollsinGermanyforcoacheshavebeenaverted,andtheadmissibleEUtotalweightfortwoaxlecoacheshasbeenraisedto19.5tonnes.Asinthepast,wearecampaigningvehementlyforanendtobureaucraticandfiscalbarrierstoprogressandagainstanydiscriminationofcoachtourism.

Myheartfeltthanksgoouttoourpolitical,economicandfederationpartnerswhosupportandshareourconcerns,totheRDABoard,advisorycommitteesandconsultantsandtothefederationandRDA-WorkshopTouristik-ServiceGmbHmanagementandstaffs.Inparticular,IextendmyspecialthankstoourRDAmembersfortheirsupportofmanyyears.

Richard EberhardtPresidentRDA–InternationalCoachTourismFederatione.V.

Richard EberhardtPresident

RDA Managing Board

Honorary President Norbert Grein

Honorary Board MembersGerhard FalkeKarl-Heinz GrünheitAlbert Happ

6 7

Political Representation of Coach Tourism InterestsPolitical Representation of Coach Tourism Interests

The goals of RDA lobbying in Berlin, Brussels and Strasbourg, as well as locally, are fair operating conditions,

reaction against coach unfriendly meas-ures, the abolition of competitive distor-tions and the creation of a positive climate for coach holiday travel.

TheRDAsupportspoliticiansandadministrationsinrealisticallyexaminingdecisionsandproposedlegislativemeas-ureswithregardtotheirdiverserepercus-sions.

ThefirstportofcallforRDAtourismpoliticsistheGermanFederalMinistryofEconomics,whichisresponsibleforshapingeconomicframeworkconditionsinGermany.RDAPresident,RichardEber-hardt,istheonlycoachtourismrepresent-

ativeintheGermanFederalMinistryofEconomicsTourismAdvisoryCommittee.Here,heraisesawarenessforpressingcoachandgrouptourismissues.

On24thSeptember2014theRDAhelddiscussionsintheGermanMinistryofEconomicsonthetaxationofprofitmarginsandonlocalGermantaxationonthepurchaseofhotelservices.TheRDAwasparticularlyactiveinregardtothelattertheme:numerous

discussionswereheldwithrelevantfederalandstateministriesandwiththehighestfinancialauthorities,whileposi-tionpapersandexpertappraisalswereproducedinco-operationwiththeBTW

(GermanFederalTourismFederation)andDRV(GermanTravelAssociation).Lastbutnotleast,RDAtaxconsultant,CarstenKaufmann,introducedcoachandgrouptourismconsiderationstocommitteemeetingsandprovidedinformationandself-generateddata(anonymoussurveyofcoachtraveloperators)asevidenceofthenegativeeffectsoflocalGermantaxationonhotelservices.Thisisstillverymuchatopicalissuethatrequiresintensiveexchangesamongindustryfederations.

RichardEberhardtandDieterGaufoutlinedtheconsequencesofbarrier-freetravelandGermanminimum-wagelegis-lationinameetingwithMs.IrisGleicke,ParliamentaryStateSecretaryandTourismSpokesperson,intheGermanMinistryofFinanceon11thMarch2015inBerlin.Barrier-freetravelininter-citybustrans-portandroadtollsforcoacheswerethesubjectofadiscussionbetweenRichardEberhardtandRDAlegalconsultant,lawyerMs.BrigitteBech-Schröder,andParliamentaryStateSecretary,Mr.EnakFerlemann,intheGermanFederalTrans-portMinistryon16thMarch2015.Mr.Ferlemannassuredhissupportfortheissuespresented.Inadditiontoalloftheabove,theRDAworksintheBarrierFreedomProductSpecificationWorkGroup.ASymposiumonInter-CityBusTransportwasheldtogetherwiththeVDA(GermanMotorFederation)attheIAACommercialVehicles(InternationalMotorShow)inHannover.ContactwithMembersoftheGermanParliamenthasalsobeenquiteproductive.TheChair-personoftheParliamentaryTourism

Committee,HeikeBrehmer,attendedtheRDA-Work-shop2014andmadeanopeningspeechthere.

MeetingswiththeGermanSPDparty’sTourismWorkGroupofferedtheRDAanotheropportunitytopresentindustryconcerns.Notleast,becauseoftheInterventiontheRDA,didtheGermanFederalCouncilspeakouton19thDecember2014againsttheintroductionofroadtollsforbusesandcoaches.InalettertoRDAPresident,RichardEberhardt,GermanFederalTransportMinister,AlexanderDobrindt,expresslyexcludedanyroadtollsforbusesand

coaches(eitherinoccasionalorinter-citybustransport)inthecontextoftheintro-ductionofroadtollsforcarsinGermany(infrastructurelevy).

TheRDAisworkingcloselywiththeDTV(GermanTourismAssociation)Inthefieldsofinter-citybustransport(busstations)andtheremovalofmini-mum-wagebureaucracy.Well-knowntourismexpert,Mr.StefanZierke,MdB,isamemberoftheDTVMobilityCommittee.IntensivelobbyingsinceDecember2014regardingGermanminimumwagelegislationandcompulsoryregistrationforforeigncoachoperatorshasresultedincontrolsofforeigncoachoperatorsceasinguntilEuropeanlegalconsidera-tionsofGermany’sminimumwagelegis-lationarefullyclarified(alsoinrelationtocross-borderpublictransittransport).

TheRDAworkscloselywitBAGSO(GermanFederalSocietyofSeniorsOrganisations)intheinterestsofseniors–thelargestcoachandgrouptourismcustomergroup-andaccompanies

targetedBAGSOprojects.Ataninternationallevel,theRDA

possessesasoundEuropeannetwork.TheRDAistheonlycoachtourismfederationwithapermanentrepresentativeofficeandbasisinBrussels.InternationalisationissupportedbytheEuropeanAllianceforCoachTourism(EACT)madeupoffeder-ationsfrommanyEuropeancountries.ThelatestcoachfederationtostrengthentheEACTallianceistheCoachTourism&TransportCouncilofIreland(CTTC).Nationallobbyingontheonehand,andmeetingsinBrusselsandStrasbourgontheother,arebundledinthisalliancetoraiseawarenessofindustryconcernsamongmembersoftheEuropeanParliamentandEuropeanCommis-sion.TheRDAisalsoverymuchpresentonthegroundinEurope:e.g.improvedconditionsfortourcoacheswereachievedinAugust2014inRomebyRDATourismAdvi-soryCouncilChair-person,RiccardoBusso,ontheoccasionofalargeGermanaltarservers’pilgrimagethere.Aspectacularcoach/carimagecompar-isononthethemeof“Greenlightfortourcoaches”wasalsoproducedinItalyunderRDAdirection.

AnEACTdelegationwasactiveon4thNovember2014inBrusselsonappointmentswithmembersofthenew

EuropeanCommissionandParliament,e.g.withtheMOVEDirectorate-General(Mobility&Transport)andtheTourismDepartmentoftheCompaniesDirec-torate-General.TheRDAisalsoinanexcellentpositiontopromoteenviron-ment-friendlycoachtravelinco-oper-ationwithDr.PeterLiese,MEP,andEPPCoordinatorintheEuropeanParliamentEnvironmentCommittee.

TimelyRDAandEACTpoliticalinter-ventionconcerningabureaucratictransportationtaxinCroatiaalsoyieldedsuccess.InameetingwithRDACEOandEACTSecretaryGeneral,DieterGauf,theCroatianTourismMinister,DarkoLorencin,discussedhisnewandimprovedconceptforreducingbureaucracyforcoachcompanieswhenregisteringforandpayingtransportationtaxinCroatia.

RDAMarketRepresentativeforSpain,SiegfriedHeinze,mettheSpanishMinisterfortheInterior,JorgeFernándezDíaz,andtheSpanish

MinisterforTransport,AnaPastorJulián,inNovember2014inMadrid.DuetohighlevelsofunemploymentinSpain,bothministerswereinterestedtohearaboutjobopportunitiesforforeigncoachdriversinGermany.

Political representation of coach tourism interestsOne of the RDA’s core tasks

is lobbying. Its focus lies

in influencing tourism and

transport politics to the

benefit of entrepreneurs,

their employees and guests.

Political framework condi-

tions are decisive for business

and these are becoming ever

more complex.

GermanFederalTrans-portMinister,AlexanderDobrindt,againstroadtollsforcoaches

SandravandeWalle:RDArepresentativebaseinBrussels

SigmarGabrielappointsRichardEberhardttotheGermanFederalEconomicsMinistryTourismAdvisoryCouncil

Greenlightaheadfortourcoaches!

8 9

RDA-Workshop

contactsbutalsotoinstigateandcloserealbusiness.

Information and inspiration in the Trend Forum

Adialogueplatform,anideasexchangeoradditionalB2Bmeetingpoint?AsanestablishedfeatureoftheRDA-Workshop,theTrendForum–newlyconceivedin2014–offersopportunitiesforauthoritativeexchangesbetweenindustryexpertsandtourismpracti-tioners.Some1,500personslistenedto

lecturesontopicalthemesunderthemotto“25practicethemesinanhalf-hourtact”.Thepresentationscoveredtopicssuchasthe“Cycling,E-Bikes&Co.”RDA-Workshopofferscampaign,asessionon“Internet–RisksorChancesforGroupTourism?”topracticalmarketingtipsfortravelagenciesandtouroperators.Thediscussionsandpresentationson“inter-citybustransport”provedpopularonceagain.TheTrendForumattractednewvisi-torsandprovidedlotsofuseful,relevantandvaluableimpulses.

“Keep up to speed – become a Work-Shopper”

Atthestartof,andaspartof,anRDA-Workshopinitiativepromotingyoungtalent,thirdlevelTourismStudiesstudentswereinvitedtoattendthe2014exhibition.Guidedtoursoftheshowofferedtheminsightsintotheworldofgrouptourism.TheywerealsoabletomeetandtalktoindustryprofessionalsduringthecourseoftheRDAEvening.Thisprogrammewillbecontinuedin2015.Besidesstudents,tourismtraineeswillalsobeinvitedtoattend.RDA-Work-shop2015exhibitorsandvisitorsare,therefore,requestedtobringalongtheiryoungtalenttoCologneinJuly.TheYoungProfessionalscanlookforwardtoreduced-faretickets,freeentrancetotheexhibi-tion,invitationstoRDAnetworkingeventsandacontingentofgratisovernightsinanearbyyouthhostel(Köln-Deutz).Thisisafavourableopportunityforbothexhib-itorsandvisitorsaliketomotivateandrewardyoungemployeesandtopresentthewonderfuldiversityofourbusinessatfirsthand.

Europe’s Nr. 1 group tourism exhibition

TheRDA-WorkshophasmaintaineditspolepositionamongB2Bgrouptourismexhibitionsfordecadesnow.ItsUSP:atnootherexhibitionwillyoufindsuchaconcentrationofkeycoachand

grouptourismsuppliersandbest-in-classserviceforbuyerswhoonlyhavetoreachoutfore.g.citybreaks,cluboutings,culture

trips,culinaryholidaysand/orwalkingprogrammes.WhereelseinEuropehasonesuchasplendidopportunitytoexploresomany

innovationsfromthecoachandgrouptourismsectorsoveraperiodofthreedaysinjustoneplace?

RDA-Workshop

Trade visitors and exhibitors also enjoyed a new hall design and visual concept. Boulevards were

created featuring bright carpets, seating areas and green plants. These provided not only pleasant networking spaces but also improved orientation around the exhibition halls.

Atthesametime,exhibitionhallsupportingpillarsweretransformedintoattractivesignposts.Almostallstandardstandshadmorespaceasaresult,unnec-essaryphysicalobstructionshavingbeenfullyremoved.Afteritssuccessfultake-up,thenewhallconceptwillbecontinuedandoptimisedin2015,providingamoreenhancedexhibitionexperienceforbothexhibitorsandtradevisitorsalike.

Anniversary RDA-Workshop as a “kick-off” into a new future

Europe’slargestsalesandpurchasingexhibitionforthecoachandgrouptourismsectorstookplaceforthe40thtimelastyear.NotonlydidCologneFairHalls10.1and10.2receiveanewimage,thefoyerareawasalsoopticallyupgraded,withaphotoexhibitionofformerRDA-Workshops.

RDA-WorkshopManagingDirector,KarinKohls,wasresponsiblefororgan-isingtheexhibitionfortheverylasttime,anexhibitionthatbearsherdistinctivesignature,shehavingmadeitwhatitis.

Asurprisefarewellreceptionwasheldinherhonour–withlotsofcolleaguesandexhibitorsattending.Manyofthese,likeKarinKohls,werealsopresentattheinau-guralRDA-Workshopin1975inGrafenau.

SuchananniversaryconfirmstheimportanceoftheRDA-Workshopfortheinternationalcoachandgrouptourismsectors.Face-to-facecommunicationsstillplayasignificantroleevenintimesofE-mail,smartphones,Facebook&Co.-especiallyintheB2Barea.Thisfactisrein-forcedbyarecentAUMAsurvey:79%ofGermancompaniesthatexhibitattradeexhibitionsconsidersuchexhibitionsaveryimportantpartofB2Bmarketingandtheircommunicationsmix.

Atthesametime,exhibitionorgan-isersfaceachallengeindeliveringanattractiveportfolioand-inconjunctionwithexhibitors–incentivesfortradevisi-tors.TheRDA-WorkshopwassuccessfulindeliveringtheseonceagainlastJulyinCologne.AccordingtotheRDA-Work-shopVisitorSurvey,themostimportantreasons–besidesconcretebusiness–forvisitingtheRDA-Workshop2014were:•nurturingexistingcontacts•gettingtoknowsupplierspersonally•searchingfornewoffersina•targetedmanner•gainingamarketoverviewand•exploringcurrenttrends.

ParticipationintheRDA-WorkshopinCologneisworthwhileforexhibitorsandtradevisitorsalike–notonlytokeepuptodate,nurtureandmakebusiness

RDA-Workshop: face-to-face contacts are indispensable

RDA-Workshop 2014:

1,000 German and interna-

tional exhibitors presented

their coach and group tourism

offers over an area of 45,000

sq. metres. Not only were

innovations in the group travel

sector on show but concrete

business was also conducted:

76% of visitors stated that

they placed direct orders at the

RDA-Workshop.

CompetentpartnersforRDAmemberswhowish

tosuccessfullypositionthemselvesinthediverse

worldofcoachandgrouptourism:theRDA–

InternationalCoachTourismFederatione.V.and

theRDA-WorkshopTouristik-ServiceGmbH.

10 11

A common outlookA common outlook

Industry exchange

Over200membersfollowedtheRDAcalltoattendtheRDAAGMfrom2ndto5thApril2014.BrugesandYpresinFlanders,Belgium,werethecentresofinternationalcoachtourismforthreedays.TheRDAwithitsmotto,“Border-freetravel–pathstounderstandingbetweenpeoples”,clearlyshowedwhereitscorecompetencelay:intherepresentationofcoachandgrouptourismpoliticalinterestsinGermanyandinEuropeandinfocusinguponanddevelopingdestinationsandtrendsforthecoachandgrouptravelmarkets.

Inhiskeynoteaddress,RDAPresident,RichardEberhardt,statedclearlythattheRDAseesitsroleinopeningupofEurope,inwinningnewmembers,co-operatingwithindustrypartnersandenteringnewalliancestoeffectivelyrepresentRDAmemberinterestsinarapidlychangingEurope.Mr.Eberhardtstatedthatcoachbusinesshadpickedupspeed.Theimageofcoachesand-aboveall,theirpositivedepictioninsocietyatlarge-wasencouraging.Coachtravelwasalsogainingadditionalattentionasaresultoftheliberalisationofinter-citybustransportinGermany.Itwasimpor-tanttokeeptheimagemomentumgoingandtouseitforthefurtherdevelopmentoftourisminGermanyandbeyond.

RichardEberhardtwasre-electedasRDAPresidentaswasRDATreasurer,BernhardKirschbaum.OliverGröpperwaselectedtotheBoardtoreplaceEva-MariaWagenhäuser-Müllerwhohadservedfor12years.RichardEberhardtthankedherforherhardworkandforhervaluableideasandcreativesuggestions.AnIBV(RDA/gbk)imagecampaignconcepttodevelopwww.bus.deintoaB2Cbookingplatformwaspresentedanddiscussed.Thegoalbeingtobundlecoachtourismproductsforsaleonlineandtoenablecustomerstofindthemonsearchengines,thusenablingcoachestoplayonalevelpitchwithairandrail.

16th - 17th September 2014 DTV (German Tourism Asso-ciation) Mobility Committee guest meeting at the RDA Head Office in Cologne

On16thand17thSeptember2014theRDAinvitedtheDTV(GermanTourismAssociation)MobilityExpertCommitteetotheRDAHeadOfficeinCologneandtoanexpertexcursiononthethemeofinter-citybustransport.Topicssuchasinfrastruc-turaldeficitsandpotentialsolutionsbasedontheexampleofCologneInter-CityBusTerminalwerediscussed.“Thedilemmacanbeclearlyseenhere–it’slikeanairportwithoutarunway!”saidRDACEO,DieterGauf.

Morethan300tourismprofessionalscametotheAutostadtinWolfsburgon12thJanuary2015todiscoverhowwritescreenplaysforcoachandgrouptravelexperiences.Otto-F.WachswelcomedparticipantstotheVolkswagenCommercialVehiclesPavillon,whichservedasabackdropforthisannualcoachtourism“kick-off”event.Itwas,indeed,the5thtimethatthisincreasinglypopularone-daybranchconferencetookplaceintheAutostadt.

RDAandIBVPresident,RichardEberhardt,usedhisopeningspeechtoenlightenlistenersaboutpoliticalhurdlesthatmakelifedifficultforcoachoperators.Inthefaceofmanychallenges,itwasimportanttofocusupontheadvantagesofcoachtourismintermsofflexibilityandauthenticity.“Coachholidayshaveearnedthebigappearance”andhavepotentialtobeboxofficehits,saidRDACEO,DieterGauf,SpiritusRectoroftheDayofCoachTourism.Whilecoachtravelofferswerealmostcomplete,therewasonlyonethingmissing:emotions!Successfultraveldirectorsandproducerscametogetheronstagetoproduceconceptsforemotionalisingcoach

holidaytravel,includingKlaus-MichaelMachens,PresidentoftheFederationofGermanLeisureParksandLesiureCompaniese.V.,MichaelHildebrandt,DirectorStrategy&DevelopmentatStageEntertainment,Dr.UweLorenz,ManagingPartneratEberhardtTRAVELGmbH,Prof.Dr.HaraldBartl,andRichardJ.Vogel,ManagingPartneratDRSHoldingGmbH.

FatherMaximilianKrenn,PriorofGöttweigAbbeyinAustria,offeredanewperspectiveonthesubjectof“guestexperiences”andpleadedfor“genuine”encounterswithotherpeople,wherebyholidayexperienceswerecreatedvialisteningandcollectiveinvolve-ment.Thiswasonesecretastowhyreligioustraveloperatorsoftensecuredfarhigherpricesfortheirreligioustraveltours.

Just as the RDA has members who are federations,

the RDA itself is also actively involved in other

interest groups and confederations. RDA staff and

representatives regularly engage with colleagues

from allied federations, participate in committee

discussions and AGMs and / or represent the coach

and group tourism branch at industry events.

An excerpt:

23rd - 24th June 2014 Statistical Evaluation

Conference FUR Travel Analysis

in Dreieichenhain

20th February 2014 Regional Members’ Meeting, 7th Commonwealth Seminar, Edinburgh

13th October 2014 BTW (German Tourism Industry Confederation) Tourism Summit in Berlin

11th - 13th May 2014 Germany Travel Mart in Bremen and Bremerhaven

05th - 09th March 2014 ITB Berlin

29th - 31th July 2014 40th RDA Workshop in Cologne

30th September 2014 IAA (International Motor Show) Symposium on inter-city bus transport in Hannover

12th January 2015 Day of Coach Tourism in Wolfsburg

02nd - 05th April 2014 RDA AGM & Annual

Conference in Flanders

12 13

Expert Know how

German local business tax on the purchase of hotel accom-modation

TheabstruselegalopinionoftheGermanfinancialadministrationcouldhavehadserious-andattimes-detri-mentalconsequencesforthetourismsector.RDAtaxconsultantKaufmannbroughthisexpertknowledgetobearinordertorepresentthepositionofRDAmembers.Theeffectsonthecompaniesconcernedwerecalculatedonthebasisofashortsurveyandtheseweresubse-quentlydemonstratedinnumerousdiscussionswith,amongothers,theParliamentaryStateSecretary,Dr.Meister,intheGermanFederalFinanceMinistry.ItbecameclearfromdiscussionswithrepresentativesfromGermanFederalStateFinanceMinistries,however,thattheywerenotatallawareoftheintricatedetailsoftheGermancoachoperatorbusinessmodel.TheRDA,togetherwithotherparticipatingfederations,emphat-icallytriedtodissuadethefinancialadministrationfromtheirposition.Theendresult:thenegotiationswiththefinancialadministrationrecently“failed”.

Thefinancialadministration’spositionisthatthisisamatterthatwillhavetobeclarifiedincourt.Thisdecisionisadisap-pointingone.Itshowsthatevenwiththehelpofinfluentialpolicymakerstheadministrationcouldnotbedissuadedfromtheirlegalopinion.Nowitisuptoustoconvincethecourtsabouttheunsuit-abilityoflocalGermantaxationonhotelaccommodation.TheRDAwillvehementlyrepresentRDAmembers’interestssothattheyarenotexposedtoatorrentoftaxation.

Advice for RDA members

BesideshisactivitiesintherealmoftaxationpoliticsandintheTourismTaxationCommittee,RDAtaxconsultantKaufmannisavailabletoanswerRDAmembers’questionsconcerningtaxationasitpertainstocoachandgroupholidaytravel.HealsoofferspracticaltipsandinformationviatheRDAwebsiteandRDAtradepublications,suchastherecentlypublished“Taxguidelinesfortravelcompanies”.

It is important to raise awareness of coach tourism concerns among polit-ical decision-makers during their early

deliberations on new legislative initi-atives. The RDA sees itself as a contact partner and an information provider consequently accompanying legislative procedures to their conclusion and during their implementation. Reform of German taxation of profit margins

On26thSeptember2013theEuro-peanCourt,forexample,decidedthatacalculationoftotalprofitmarginsasprovidedforbyGermanVATlawandasoverwhelminglypractisedinGermanywascontrarytoEuropeanlawandthatthetaxationofprofitmarginswasalsomandatoryforB2Btransactions.Thisdeci-sionhashadenormouseffectsinpractice.TheRDAemployeditstaxexpert,Mr.CarstenKaufmann,todevelopacommonpositionwithpartnerfederationsintheirdiscussionswiththeGermanFederalFinanceMinistry.Itwas,nevertheless,cleartoallparticipantsthatitwouldbedifficulttodefendtheGermaninterpre-tationinthelightoftheEuropeanCourt’sjudgement.TheGermanFederalFinanceMinistryassuredthatitwouldfightfortheGermanlegalopinioninBrussels.TheGermantourismfederationsfurthermoreagreedtocampaignfortheGermanposi-tionamongEuropeanpoliticalrepresenta-tivesinBrussels.

Travel services in the sights of taxation politics

Expert Know how

trivialoftexts.Inmostcases,carelesstouroperatorscomeoffsecondbestandhavetopaydearlywithexpensivefinesandlifelongdeclarationstoceaseanddesistasaresultoftheirthoughtlessself-servicewithphotosandtextsdownloadedfromtheInternet.

Grossnegligenceisstillcommon-placewhenhotelreservationscontractsareconcluded.Importantdetailsdiscussedwithbusinesspartnersareoftennotrecordedinwritingafterwards.Thisoftencomesbackwithavengeance,sothatthefollowingprinciplealwaysapplies:trustisgoodbutwrittenagree-mentonimportantpointsisbetter(espe-ciallyinrelationtocancellationspolicy)!

Mosttouroperatorshavealotofcatching-uptodowhenitcomestotheobservanceoffundamentalcompetitionlawobligationssuchasthelegallysafedesignofwebsites,cataloguesandnews-paperadvertisements.ThisisacoreareaofRDAlegaladvicetomembers.

Internet bookings

Legalquestionsarisingfromcombinedholidaysandonlinebuild-ing-blockbookingsareontheincrease.“All-inclusivelegalcareandattention”toassistRDAmembersinovercomingproblemcasesofalltypesismuchindemandandispartandparcelofRDAdailylegaladvicegiventomembersbyRDAlegalconsultant,Prof.Dr.HaraldBartl,andlawyer,BrigitteBech-Schröder.Expertadviceandspeedysupportisgivenonanindividualbasis,evenatweekends.

Individualcareisflankedbyconcreterecommendationsforaction,practice-ori-entedguidelinesaswellasshortexpertassessmentsinfundamentaltourismquestions.

Thetriedandtrusted“RDATravelTerms&Conditions”werere-issuedinSummer2014.CurrentGermanFederalCourtjudgmentsarepromptlycommenteduponbyProfressprDr.HaraldBartl.ThisguaranteesoptimalInforma-tionforRDAmembersand,atthesametime,ahighprofileinthetraveltradepress.ThisInformationisavailableonlineunderwww.rda.deintheMembers’AreaandintheOnlineArchive.

Representing members’ interests in legislation

RDAlegalconsultant,lawyerBrigitteBech-Schröder,isconstantlyworkingtosafeguardmembercompanyinterestsonthelegislativefront:attheEUlegislatureinBrusselsandinStrasbourg–aswasthecaserecentlywiththenewEUdirectiveonpackagetravelandassistedtravelarrangements;inGermanyconcerningmattersrelatingtohinderingtheintro-ductionofroadtollsforcoaches,barri-er-freeinter-citycoachtravel,supportinginternationalmembersandofficialminimumwageregistration.Ms.Bech-SchröderisavailableasacompetentandreliablecontactandpartnerforRDAmembercompaniesandforpoliticiansinalllegalissuesinvolvingthecoachandgrouptravelsectors–inbothGermanyandatEUlevel.

Travel, competition, internet, copy-right and data protection laws as well as holiday and travel product

advertising - whether catalogues, home-pages or newspaper advertisements – are, as in the past, key focal points of RDA legal advice to members.

General travel law

Therelationshipbetweengrouptraveloperatorsandtheirclientsintermsoftravellawis,inthemeantime,quiterelaxed.Keyissuesintermsofknowledgegapsonthepartoftouroperatorshavebeenresolvedtoalargedegree.However,therearestillmattersawaitingresolutionbetweentouroperators,externalandinternalemployees,suppliersandpart-ners.ThelaxhandlingofimagesandtextstakenfromtheInternetoftenhasseriousconsequencesfortouroperators:warninglettersduetobreachesofcopyrightareadailyoccurrence.Sometravel“authors”aidedbylargelegalpractices–withtheassistanceofsophisticatedonlinesearchengines-seemtobepermanentlyoccu-piedwithnothingotherthangainingexpensiveattentionforeventhemost

Legal security – from initial idea to final contract!

14 15

RDA Academy

Changes in consumer informa-tion behaviour and in travellers’ demographic structures require

dynamic adjustments on the part of RDA members. While new destinations and customer groups are developed, constant development of information technolo-gies means that tourism companies have to be up-to-date in order to keep up with and surpass their competitors.

Besidesphysicalcapitalsuchascoaches,hotelroomsandtechnicalequip-ment,qualifiedandspecializedpersonnelarethedefiningsuccessfactorsthatallowRDAmembercompaniestoremaincompetitiveinaconstantlychangingmarketenvironment.Formaleducationplaysonlyasmallpartinthetrainingthatisrequiredforwork-practice.Training-on-the-jobandfurthertrainingmeas-uresinfluenceemployeeperformanceandmotivationinasustainablemanner.Investmentincapitalgoodsisonesideofthecoin;practice-orientedqualificationofbothmanagementandemployeesinthecoachandgrouptourismsectorsistheother–andequallynecessaryside.

TheRDAAcademyhasbeenconse-quentlyfollowingthisbasicmaximforover25yearsnow.Anditsofferingfits:relayingknowledgeandknow-howtransfers.TheRDAAcademyseminarsoffersmallandmedium-sizedenter-prisespracticalconceptsandcompeti-tivesolutions.Asanimpulseprovider,itassistscompaniesinfocusingonlucrative

marketsegmentswhileatthesametimehighlightingopportunitiestoimprovethesuccessofcurrentprogrammes.RenownedexternalexpertsandcloseinteractionwiththeRDABoard,membersandcommitteesensurea“GoldenThread”andpracticalapplicationsofallseminars.

Classicalbusinessfieldsinparticular,suchastax,calculationsandtourismlawhaveprovednotonlytobeverypopularamongcoachcompaniesbutalsowithothermembercategories.RDAAcademyseminarscoverareasthatrequirespecialknowledgebothforinternalcompanyproceduresandforco-operationwithsupplierpartners.Practicalknowledgeforworkingwithcoachcompaniesisalsoimpartedtocompanyowners,managingdirectorsandresponsibleexecutivesfromsupplierpartnerssuchashotels,visitorattractionsandleisureparks–frombackgroundinformationoncoachtourismproductstocontractclosures.ThePurchaseandPartnerSeminarsunderlinetheRDA’sUSPforthecoachandgrouptourismvaluechain.

TheTourGuidingSeminargetstotheverycoreofon-the-roadprovisionofcoachtourismservicesandtherebyroundsofftheRDAAcademypoolofexpertise.TourguidecertificatesareawardedeveryyeartocandidateswhosuccessfullypasstheTourGuideCertifi-cateExaminationsetbytheRDAAcademyinco-operationwithBremenUniversityandtheGermanTourismIndustryConfed-eration.

AccreditedRDABusPilottraining-basedonGermanCommercialDrivers’QualificationsLaw-isrunininco-oper-ationwiththeTÜVRheinlandAcademyandensuresthatcoachdriverspossesstherequiredknowledgetobeadministra-tivelyandoperativelybestpreparedforalleventualities.

Professional knowledge transfer

GroupworkintheRDA-Academy(above);

afterasuccessfultourguideexamination

(below).

Safety Initiatives

TheRBIinitiativeisco-ordinatedbymotorsafetyexpertandRDAsafetyconsultant,JohannesHübner,andhasbecomeacontactaddressforfurtheradviceandimmediatesupport.Irrespec-tiveofwhereinmainlandEuropeacoachisinvolvedinanaccident,theRBIexpertteamisinformedfirstofallbytheAvDtrafficmonitoringsystemandisthenreadilyavailablewithspeedyandqual-ifiedassistance.RDAmemberswhoareactiveRBIprogrammeparticipantsvaluetheroutinepresscommunicationsandprofessionalorganisationinemergencysituationsthatarecoveredbytheirannualRDAmembershipsubscription.Hanse-MerkuroffersaspeciallydevelopedRBIinsurancepolicyforadditionalprotectionwhichsafeguardsRDAmembersfromthehighcostsofconveyingtheirguestsbackhome,installinganemergencyinforma-tiontelephonehotline,attendingpressconferencesetc.AlloftheseservicesareavailablefromRBIexpertsinaone-stop-shopwhichhasitsowntelephonenumber(+4915224612311)andwhichisavailableatalltimes24/7/365.

Datagleanedfromaccidentinves-tigationsserveasanup-to-the-minutefoundationforregularRBIemergencymanagementseminars,stafftrainingandexpertpublications.ThelatternotonlycomplimentstheRBIprogrammebutalsoservesasapreventativemeasureinitsownright.TheEmergencyManagementSeminarand/ortheBusPilottraining(recognizedbyGermanCommercial

The RDA Bus Intervention (RBI) safety initiative arose out of RDA members’ necessity for their

companies to be optimally prepared for emergency situations and for them to be able to effectively deal with such eventualities. A tried-and-trusted safety programme was developed together with the German Automobile Club (AvD) and the HanseMerkur travel insurance company.

Drivers’QualificationsLaw)meanthatmembercompaniesarebestpreparedincaseofemergencies.Inthisway,theRDA’ssafetyinitiativecoversallaspectsofcrisismanagement-frommonitoringandpreventiontoprofessionalcareandatten-tioninrealemergencysituations.

Safely on the move – Europe-wide

Johannes Hübner

ManagingDirectorofautoconsult,

AvDPressOfficerandformerEditor-in-

ChiefofPRORadio4RPR.

PresenterRDAEmergencyManagement

SeminarandBus-PilottrainingandFFH

AutoDoctoratHitRadioFFH

Comments from RBI Emergency Management Seminar participants:

“Up to now we hadn’t made any preparations but always relied upon good planning and our staff’s

training. Now, however, we are beginning with preparations and plan to work exactly according

to the RBI template and take on board the suggestions and experiences shared. We will

instruct our staff and place emergency response lists in our vehicles. Simulation is also important

as are test runs of emergency situations.“

Torsten Markert, ManagingDirectorofMarkert-Busreisen

„The Emergency Management Seminar, offered by the RDA, is an important further education

measure for our staff and an indispensable building block in our emergency provisions so

that everybody immediately knows what to do in the event of an emergency situation.“

Marcel Schmidt, DeinBusBetriebs-GmbH

16 17

Market Trends

Custom-made research

VolumeswiththousandsofFURTravelAnalysisdatatablesreachedtheRDAinApril.Besidesthestandardcatalogueofquestions,theRDAasanFURmemberalsohasapossibilitytoaskexclusivequestions,topartici-pateinso-calledmodulequestionsorinadditionalcommonlyworked-outquestionblocks.TheRDAmarketingdepartmentposedaquestionseveralyearsagoaboutadditionalpotentialfortourcoaches.TheresultofthisexclusiveRDAquestionwasthatthereweresome25millionflight/automobile/ship/railholidaytripswherebytourcoacheswereusedforexcursions,transfersandroundtripsinholidaydestinations.AnewmodulequestionrelatedtothiswasgeneratedforthecurrentFURTravelAnalysis,whichoffersnewinsightsintothemultimodalholidaytransportchain.

Theseandotherimportantstatis-ticalandresearchinsightsforthecoachandgrouptourismsectorswillbeavail-ableintheRDAMarketResearchReport2015attheRDA-WorkshopinCologne.Theconceptualre-workingofthisreportbeganlastyear.Newlydesignedinfo-graphicssuccinctlyelucidatethemostrelevantresearchstatementsataglance.

AcomprehensivestudysuchastheFURTravelAnalysiscaninmanywaysprovideinformationabouttransportmodes,accommodationchoicesandbookingchannels.TheRDAMarketResearchReportoffersanoverviewofthemostimportantbranchstatis-tics.RDAmemberswhorequiremoredetailedinformationfortheirbusinessdealingsregularlytakeadvantageofandusetheRDA’sindividualmarketresearchservice–auniquememberbenefitindeed.

Industry trends 2014

Ourindustrytakesstockafteraturbulentyearwithcrises,riots,epidemicsandstrikes.TheeagerlyawaitedfirstresultsoftheFURTravelAnalysis2014werepunctuallypresentedon4thMarch2015attheITBinBerlin.

Alreadyatthebeginningof2014theFURTravelAnalysisforecastpositivegrowthperspectivesfortheGermantravelmarket.Theresultsfor2014indi-catedthattherewerenocrisesthatwouldruffleGermans’fascinationwithtakingholidays.Whilethetotalnumberofholidaymakersdecreasedslightlyby0.36%to54.6million,Germans’holidayspendhasneverbeensohighasin2014.EURO958perpersonwastheaveragespend,6%morethaninthepreviousyear!Thesearenottheonlyindicestoappearinthefirstresultsthatawakenourinterest.Ofspecialsignificance,too,aretheconsequencesofdemographicchangesinGermany:moreandmoremobile,experi-ence-seekingandcuriousseniors,singlesandunmarriedcouplestravelinordertodiscovernewholidaydestinations,othermentalitiesandforeigncultures.AlmosthalfofallGermanholidaysweretakenbygeneration50+.AccordingtotheFURTravelAnalysis2025TrendStudy,thisproportionwillpresumablyrisetoover56%inthecomingdecade.Theseare,indeed,bestpre-conditionsforthecoachandgrouptourismsectors,whosemaincustomergroupsareseniorsinglesandcouplesandyoungunmarriedpersons.Coachholidaysmaintainedan8%marketshareofGermanholidays(of5andmoredaysduration)takenin2014.Privateautomobiles–at46%marketshare,andflights–at39%marketshare,werethemostpopularprimarymodesofholidaytransport.Railtravel,however,declinedslightlyfrom6%to5%inthe2013/2014year-on-yearcomparisons.

TheFURTravelAnalysisforecastsapositive

moodamongGermanholidaymakersfor2015.

OverhalfofGermansalreadyhaveconcreteholidayplans.Greatpotentialistobehadamongthe12%ofGermans

whoarewillingtospendmoreontheirholidays

in2015.

Market Trends

The FUR Travel Analysis is Germa-ny’s oldest and most comprehen-sive representative study of the

travel and tourism sector.

WhiletheRDAisoneof30FURmembers,itistheonlytourismorganisationthatevaluatestheTravelAnalysisresearchspecificallyforcoachandgrouptourism,makingitsubsequentlyavailabletoRDAmembers.RDAMarketingAdviser,NinaDohm,regularlyattendsFURevaluationconferencestodiscussnewresultsandmethodologieswithotherFURmembersandtoguaranteeperfectlyfittinganalyseforRDAmembers.

Market research made to measure

Information about consumer travel behaviour and expectations is

decisive for the development and marketing of tourism products.

Large tourism concerns glean most of this knowledge from their

internal market research departments. Small- and medium-sized

coach companies have the RDA to assist them in this process

instead.

45 46

car/ motorhome

38 39

plane

8 8

coach

6 5

train

Main mode of transport

20132014

Source:FURTravelAnalysis2015,FirstResults,Basis:holidaytripsof5andmoredaysduration

Age distribution among German holiday makers 2025

14-29 years 30-49 years 50-69 years 70 years or above

Source:FURTravelAnalysis,Trendstudy2025,Basis:holidaytripsof5andmoredaysduration

37 %

19 % 16 %

28 %

18

ImprintAt your service! / RDA and Partners

At your service!RDA e.V.

Salmin BehrensInternationalAffairsAdviserandAssistanttotheCEOsekretariat@rda.de

Yvonne BlümlingFederationSecretariatinfo@rda.de

Nina DohmMarketingAdvisermarketing@rda.de

Monika RiebauBookkeepingbuchhaltung@rda.de

Claudia SchnackerzOrganisationAdviserorganisation@rda.de

RDA-Workshop Touristik- Service GmbH

Annette Sperling ProjectManagementa.sperling@rda-workshop.de

Anna SchwenkManagementAssistantanna.schwenk@rda-workshop.de

Daniela BonnProjectManagerdaniela.bonn@rda-workshop.de

Nicole Paluch van LoonProjectManagernicole.paluch@rda-workshop.de

Aysel SözeriProjectManagera.soezeri@rda-workshop.de

RDA Consultants

Lawyer Brigitte A. Bech SchröderLegalissues

StB Carsten KaufmannTaxationissues

Sandra van de WalleRepresentativeinBrussels

Annette HeinemannPress&PublicRelations

Dipl.-Biol., Umweltinformatiker Holger FröhlichEnvironment

Dr. Patrick PatridgeMarketRepresentativeforGreatBritain,Ireland&theCommonwealth

Imprint

RDA – International Coach Tourism Federation e.V. Hohenstaufenring47-51DE-50674CologneTel: +49(0)221/912772-0Fax: +49(0)221/124788E-Mail: info@rda.dewww.rda.de

Responsible for the contentRichardEberhardt,PräsidentTextSalminBehrens,NinaDohm,DieterGauf,AnnetteHeinemann,AnnaSchwenk,AnnetteSperlingEnglish TranslationDr.PatrickPatridge,TourismMarketing&PR,Frankfurt-am-Mainwww.dr-patrick-patridge.deLayoutBüro61UG(limitedliability)AgenturfürKommunikation,Colognewww.buero-61.de

PrintBräutigamIdeen,Druck&ServiceGmbH&Co.KG,Schmallenbergwww.agentur-braeutigam.dePhoto credits p.4/5RDA;p.6Presse-undInformationsamtderBundesregierung/GuidoBergmann;p.7(left,top)RDA/SandravandeWalle;p.7(left,bottom)Presse-undInformation-samtderBundesregierung/SteffenKugler;p.7(righthandside)RDA;p.8/9RDA-Work-shopTouristik-ServiceGmbH;p.10RDA;p.11(leftbottom)autoconsult/JohannesHübner,p.11(righttop)RDA;p.12,p.13Thinkstock;p.14autoconsult/JohannesHübner;p.15RDA;p.16IBVInternationalerBustourismusVerband

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RDA and Partners

Alliances

European Alliance for

Coach Tourism

RDA International Coach Tourism Federation

Workshop Touristik Service GmbH

GütegemeinschaftBuskomfort e.V.

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