STUTTGART (dpa-AFX) - After the highs of the coronavirus years, business in the caravanning industry stabilized at a high level last year. More than 90,000 caravans and motorhomes were newly registered in Germany in 2023, as the Caravanning Industry Association (CIVD) announced on Monday at the CMT travel trade fair in Stuttgart. This is 0.7 percent less than the year before. According to the report, the decline is due to the drop in demand for caravans. In contrast, new motorhome registrations had risen in 2023.

CIVD President Bernd Loher said on Monday: "2023 was a good year, we have consolidated at a high level. We are cautiously optimistic for 2024". The companies' order books are still well filled. The recent fall in the inflation rate is also encouraging that consumer purchasing power is continuing to stabilize.

"Interest in caravanning is unbroken. I think you can attest to that," said Loher. However, the general conditions will certainly not get any easier in 2024. For example: "We thought we had the supply chain problem halfway behind us," he said. However, the attacks on container ships in the Red Sea are now proving us wrong. Recently, manufacturers have been struggling with delivery problems for chassis, for example.

Association: Increase in new production and turnover

According to CIVD figures, production by German manufacturers grew by 3.3 percent in 2023. Of the approximately 133,600 vehicles produced, almost 52,000 were exported. As a result, the industry generated sales of 15.3 billion euros in 2023 - an increase of 8.8 percent. The growth was also due to price effects, said Loher.

According to the association, Germany is the most important producer and exporter of so-called leisure vehicles in Europe. Driven by the coronavirus pandemic and the trend towards individual travel, the caravanning industry has experienced a boom in recent years. In 2020 and 2021, the number of new registrations exceeded the 100,000 mark. After that, things began to normalize.

CMT (Caravaning - Motor - Touristik) is the world's largest public trade fair for tourism and leisure and runs until January 21. Around 1600 exhibitors are present in ten halls. Last year, around 265,000 visitors came to the trade fair grounds in Stuttgart./jwe/DP/mis