On 13 May 2025, Dr Markus Heller, Managing Partner at Dr Fried & Partner GmbH, presented the latest DRV Travel Agency Barometer as part of the ‘DRV – Travel Distribution Day’. The comprehensive study commissioned by the German Travel Association is based on data from over 1,100 travel agencies and provides detailed insights into the economic situation of travel distribution.
The following is a quote from the article ‘Reisebüro-Umsatzrenditen entwickeln sich positiv‘ by Christian Schmicke, published on 13 May 2025 on reisevor9.de:
‘According to current data from the DRV Travel Agency Barometer, travel agencies’ returns on sales developed predominantly positively in 2023. The main driver here is the increase in travel prices, while costs have not risen to the same extent, reports Markus Heller, CEO of the management consultancy Dr Fried & Partner.
According to Heller, turnover in 2023 averaged between 1.3 and 3.3 million euros per business for around 70 per cent of businesses. Regardless of the size of the business, revenue was predominantly generated with traditional tourism products, with the proportion of revenue from flights increasing with the size of the business.
The average total revenue for around 70 per cent of the businesses was between 161,000 and 362,000 euros per business. According to Heller, 87 per cent of commission income is generated by classic tourism products. Additional revenue, such as revenue from own events or super commission, accounts for between 8.2 and 14.1 per cent of total revenue. On average, travel agencies generate around ten per cent of their total revenue from service fees, whereby this proportion is particularly high for large companies with a turnover of over 15 million euros, reaching 26 per cent.
Challenges for small travel agencies
The profit and loss account shows a positive operating result on average, emphasises Heller. However, very small companies face particular economic challenges due to above-average personnel and office space costs, meaning that they achieve a negative operating result on average.
According to the DRV Travel Agency Barometer, mobile travel consultancies recorded an average total turnover of around 458,500 euros and 248,800 euros per consultant, with almost 90 per cent of turnover being generated with tourism products. Flight bookings and other products played a subordinate role here.
Not all revenue groups with positive returns
Overall, positive returns on sales of between 1.2 and 2.4 per cent on average were achieved in 2023. However, small businesses with an annual turnover of up to one million had an average return on sales of minus 3.5 per cent.
The predominantly positive return on sales should not obscure the fact that the price increases of recent years will be followed by cost increases and therefore the return on sales will come under pressure again. Therefore, targeted business management and an increase in efficiency remain essential for travel agencies, appeals the consultant.’
In addition, the DRV provides an interactive dashboard with which member companies can compare their own key figures with the industry-specific average and orientation values in the protected area of the DRV website – a practical tool for determining their business position and strategic orientation.
Many thanks to the DRV for the invitation to the event – a valuable opportunity to discuss current developments in travel distribution.