Eurail One-Country Passes Prove to be a Great Success
UTRECHT, Netherlands, April 3, 2008 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- The Eurail Group, owner of the popular Eurail Pass for European rail travel, has announced a 5% increase in passenger numbers for 2007, notwithstanding forecasts of a lukewarm year for the travel industry. Passenger numbers exceeded 468,000 for the year, setting a new record since sales began nearly fifty years ago.
Changing travel behavior has impacted Eurail's sales. Overseas visitors are becoming more sophisticated, and their desire to visit as much of Europe as possible has been replaced by a wish to explore just one or two selected destinations. Eurail has been very active in adapting its product range to meet these customers' expectations, resulting in booming sales of one- and two-country passes. With the addition of the very popular Eurail Italy Pass in 2007, sales of single country passes have sky-rocketed by nearly 500% and now account for 16% of all Eurail's sales (compared to a mere 3% in 2006).
This shift in buying behavior and the subsequent adaptation of the Eurail Group's sales strategy has kept revenues stable at 119 million euros. Nevertheless, Eurail's classic products, the Eurail Global Pass (covering 20 countries) and the Eurail Select Pass (valid in any three, four or five adjoining countries) continue to remain popular, accounting for 62% of Eurail's sales.
While continued growth is anticipated, the Eurail Group remains cautious. Today's global travel and tourism market faces many challenges including the economic downturn in the United States, Eurail's key market with over 50% of the market share. This, coupled with the depreciating dollar and the fact that the US is in an election year, means that more modest passenger growth, of around 3%, is expected for 2008.
In order to ensure that its products continue to remain attractive and available to customers worldwide, the Eurail Group is making efforts to further expand its product range and widen its distribution network. This year has seen the addition of seven brand new pass offerings and two new countries added to the Eurail Global Pass, as well as the introduction of sales via a new global sales agent, STA Travel.
The Eurail Group offers a wide range of passes from single country options to the classic Eurail Global Pass, valid in 20 countries. For more information about the Eurail Group, go to www.EurailGroup.com. Eurail Passes are currently available from the direct sales website, www.Eurail.com, and all sales agents worldwide; ACP Rail International (www.eurail-acprail.com); Flight Centre (www.flightcentre.com); www.OctopusTravel.com; Rail Europe (North America: www.raileurope.com, rest of the world: www.raileurope.fr), and STA Travel (www.statravel.com).
For More Information:
Eurail Group corporate website and press room: www.eurailgroup.com
Eurail photo library: http://eurail.informationstore.net /
