CARAVAN SALON 2022 with great results

CARAVAN SALON 2022 has clearly exceeded the expectations of all participating groups.
Copyright: Messe Düsseldorf / C. Tillmann

With numerous new products and innovations, very good visitor numbers and an excellent atmosphere CARAVAN SALON DÜSSELDORF 2022 impressively confirmed that caravanning as a form of holiday is absolutely in vogue. During the ten days of the trade fair more than 235,000 caravanning fans from 72 countries informed themselves about the ranges of 736 exhibitors from 34 countries in 16 exhibition halls. Messe Düsseldorf and the Caravaning Industrie Verband e. V. (CIVD) were delighted about the great results. “Despite a difficult economic environment we have succeeded in reaching out to visitors with extremely high interest in this form of holiday and concrete intentions to buy. Very striking was the excellent atmosphere during the entire duration of the fair, the connected passion for mobile leisure was noticeable at all times. Only CARAVAN SALON reflects the entire caravanning world with its great variety”, summarized Erhard Wienkamp, Managing Director of Messe Düsseldorf.

He was also pleased with the fact that again more newcomers as well as many young families attended the caravanning fair. For these target groups the advice offered at the “StarterWelt” proved very helpfully; furthermore, the Special “Abenteuer Selbstausbau/Adventure DIY” organized for the first time was approved very well.  

CIVD President Herrmann Pfaff was very satisfied with the results of the 61st CARAVAN SALON: “After two years with pandemic-related restrictions we were finally able to meet again under relatively normal conditions in Düsseldorf in 2022. As expected, this opportunity was used by many people to gather information on the innovations and trends in the caravanning sector. And CARAVAN SALON again more than lived up to its reputation as the leading trade fair. The 61st edition was not only the biggest ever but also set standards in terms of the quality and variety of exhibited products and novelties. There has never been a larger selection of motorhomes, caravans and accessories on display. In addition, the fair has developed into an important dialogue platform where our industry maintains close exchange with decision makers in the political sphere and tourism because the economic and touristic potential of caravanning as a form of holiday is far from being exploited and needs to be promoted more. The CARAVAN SALON has always been not only a stage for new products but also an emotional meeting place both for caravanning fans and for newcomers. This aspect has become even more important in the current times because motorhomes and caravans embody freedom, individuality and dreams connecting people. This is why it does not come as a surprise that our way of travelling gained in popularity even long before the pandemic and many vacationers could not imagine life without it today. An end to the caravanning trend is not in sight. In short: the 61st CARAVAN SALON not only thrilled its visitors but was also a complete success for organizers and exhibitors and is making our industry more than optimistic for the future.”  

The majority of the exhibitors were also very satisfied:

“The CARAVAN SALON has once again been a very successful fair for Hobby. We were very happy with the response from journalists and the large number of visitors at our stand”, says Hobby Managing Director Holger Schulz: “The focus of our presentation was the new Hobby Maxia van based on the VW Crafter, with which Hobby is entering the premium van segment. Our Beachy, displayed on beach sand, already proved a highlight at last year’s trade fair. We are all the more pleased that we were able to provide another highlight with the presentation of our lightweight study Beachy Air together with the VW ID Buzz – both exhibited at a public fair for the first time. Düsseldorf as a fair location provides an ideal platform for our seasonal kick-off and we thank Messe Düsseldorf for the good service and great hospitality.”

Dr. Holger Siebert, Managing Director of Eura Mobil GmbH and Trigano Deutschland KG: “This year’s CARAVAN SALON was characterized by great interest in the products, poor supply availability and high uncertainty about the future. People love mobile leisure and want to purchase vehicles despite significantly increased prices. Buying interest was significantly higher than expected. The fact that sales generally declined at this fair is due to the lack of base vehicles for motorhomes, especially from market leader Fiat. The global shortage in electronic components for vehicles results in prolonged production standstills – first at chassis and later at motorhome manufacturers. Across all our eight brands we found that customers buy on the spot when delivery times are short and prices secure. If, however, the product takes a year for delivery and dealers cannot give any delivery or price guarantees customers hold back. With some of our brands many motorhomes were sold on a Ford chassis because of the greater availability, whereas with our premium brand Eura Mobil the focus was on high-end motorhomes on a Mercedes-Benz base vehicle”.

“We are more than satisfied with this CARAVAN SALON. Our forecasts were exceeded significantly. Our dealers are enthusiastic and have given us plenty of positive feedback. Especially our multi-brand strategy with new base vehicles by Volkswagen, Ford, MAN and Mercedes-Benz was very well received by visitors and customers making for extremely positive sales figures. Overall, CARAVAN SALON again has been a resounding success for Knaus Tabbert because here in Düsseldorf the conditions are optimal,” sums up Gerd Adamietzki, Chief Sales Officer at Knaus Tabbert.

“For Hymer GmbH & Co. KG we can look back on a busy trade fair week and a good atmosphere at CARAVAN SALON 2022. The interest in our form of holiday continues unabated; especially high is the demand for comprehensively equipped motorhomes. Also in line with the trend are 4-wheel drive and self-sufficiency. This became evident in many personal conversations, confirms the ongoing positive trend in the sector while showing at the same time that our premium strategy precisely meets the needs of demanding motorhome users. The fair is a good platform for close exchange with dealers, partners and customers as well as interested people. This is why we are happy to have taken part again after three years. We exhibited with a completely new stand concept that conveys our positioning and the Hymer claim as well as important, future-relevant topics, such as the use of sustainable materials. Our trade fair highlight also fits in with this: the Venture S, a real crowd-puller. We are taking these impulses with us and are looking forward to autumn 2022, when we hope to see many interested parties again at our trade partners", says Christian Bauer, Chairman of the Board of Management of Hymer GmbH & Co. KG.

Bernd Wuschack, Managing Director Sales, Marketing and Customer Service of the Carthago Group: “Against the background of our supply and price situation, we had mixed expectations of success this year. We were all the more satisfied with the actual result of CARAVAN SALON. The attention that our form of holiday is still outstanding, was reflected in the good visitor numbers and the positive conversations at our stands. Despite the changes we had to make to the overall concept this year, the trade fair was characterized by high quality and a pleasant atmosphere for us. It should also be mentioned at this point that the cooperation and collaboration with Messe Düsseldorf works excellently. The crowning glory for our trade partners and us was the joint fair evening at the stand with our guest of honour Ralf Schumacher.” 

“In view of the overall economic situation in Germany we travelled to CARAVAN SALON with muted expectations; so the strong interest of buyers came as a positive surprise to us. We have posted respectable sales results and are very satisfied with CARAVAN SALON 2022,” sums up Marco Lange, Managing Partner at la strada Fahrzeugbau GmbH.

CARAVAN SALON is extraordinarily well positioned in Halls 13 and 14 when it comes to accessories, technical equipment and interior parts. At no other event for caravanning worldwide experts and end consumers will find a larger, more comprehensive and international product range. Jürgen Vöhringer, Managing Partner at Vöhringer GmbH & Co. KG, sums up: “Contrary to expectations this year’s fair was very well attended. The record number of exhibitors is definitely also very much due to industrial upstream suppliers. Suppliers are always a guarantee for innovation. Positive to note is that the expert conversations have clearly increased in quality over the past few years. The atmosphere in the halls is very positive despite such adverse conditions as supply chain disruptions, war in Europe and inflation. The industry recognizes the challenges and faces them with a positive attitude. Also commendable is the cohesion in this sector. We are very pleased to note that the number of visitors from Oceania, Asia and North America increased extremely this year. The organization of CARAVAN SALON was outstanding.”

Hall 3 was the heart for the Equipment & Outdoor and Travel & Nature sections this year. Hiking destinations from all over the world were presented here experienced great interest of outdoor fans. In particularly high demand were destinations close to cities such as those presented at the big joint stand of Tourismus NRW under the patronage of the Ministry of Economics.

Ute Dicks, Managing Director of Deutscher Wanderverband (German Hiking Association): “The fair has shown that people are looking for high-quality hiking tourism products such as the ‘Qualitätswege Wanderbares Deutschland’ (Quality Trail hike-able Germany) and in a natural landscape that is as intact as possible. They also attach great importance to sustainability in their leisure time. Likewise, their concerns about the changes induced by climate circumstances are evident. It is especially the hiking tourists that are committed to keeping their impact low. Hiking trails with access to local public transport, regional products offered at the accommodation and regenerative energy are becoming more and more important. Caravanning shows that sustainability also ranks increasingly higher in other tourism segments – whose basis is an intact natural landscape. This is why I am delighted that we explored the prerequisites and opportunities for sustainable nature tourism together with the Caravaning Industrie Verband during the fair. We must and will continue to work together to preserve our nature”.

“Our participation in CARAVAN SALON this year was a complete success! Demand for Catalunya as a camping and outdoor destination was huge and our latest product, the Grand Tour of Catalunya, met with very strong interest. For us the combination of a stand and presentations at the Travel & Nature CONNECTED stage was perfect to inform the fair visitors about our various offers”, says Montserrat Sierra, Director of the Catalan Tourist Board – Central Europe delighted.

Ole Schnack, Managing Director of Landvergnügen GmbH: “CARAVAN SALON is a place where we can personally meet our customers and the “Landvergnügen” community. Here we can exchange in conversations during the hustle and bustle of the fair, solve problems together or share joyful experiences. I am particularly pleased to often see “old” customers explaining to new interested people how “Landvergnügen” works. CARAVAN SALON is especially well suited to this because here we can meet people from all regions in Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium”.

Jarle Sänger of ‘Wandermagazin’ said: “Finally being able to exchange ideas face to face again – mostly without worries – how wonderful is that? There are still a striking number of hiking and outdoor fans, who love to be active outdoors and who are adventurous. At ‘Wandermagazin’ we were very busy and hope that in 2023 more tourism stakeholders from Germany and Europe will take part once again.”

The 62nd CARAVAN SALON Düsseldorf will be held from 26 August to 3 September (Preview Day: 25 August) 2023.

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