CMT 2016 - interest in caravanning is growing

The CMT caravanning fair, held every January in Stuttgart, is slowly becoming an important event for the entire tourism industry. Fortunately, campers, caravans and other caravanning-related offers remain the most important elements of the program.

CMT 2016 has just come to an end. Although the winter weather in Germany on January 16-24 in Germany posed the risk that the event would not attract the expected number of visitors, the reality turned out to be better than expected!

Some statistics

220,000 visitors visited the stands of 2,068 exhibitors from 96 countries. On average, one person spent nearly 5 hours at the fair.

It is worth noting right away that while looking for a good formula that may be supposed to distinguish CMT from the world's largest caravanning fair in Dusseldorf, the organizers from year to year prepare more and more accompanying events. And so, this year you could take part in the cycling and hiking fairs , as well as learn about golf and wellness-related offers. There were even job fairs for employees from the hotel and tourism industry!

Fortunately (for us), 51% of the surveyed guests said that they were attracted to caravanning. It is also important that for 94% of respondents the offer available at the fair is complete, which means that the vast majority of visitors were satisfied with the offer. It certainly would not have been possible without the 850 touring vehicles that could be seen during this event.

The exhibitors were also satisfied. In their opinion, this year's fair confirms the further development of the trend noticed in previous years. For several years, the interest in caravanning has been reviving, and it is especially visible among young families with small children .

- From year to year, customers are getting better prepared - said Andreas Doll, manager of the Eura Mobil stand during the fair. - We met with a much better educated audience than last year and we are satisfied with the sales results.

The fair was also attended by many foreign entrepreneurs who tried to establish trade cooperation and negotiate favorable conditions at the CMT. The announcement of the results of several industry competitions, including for the motorhome and caravan of 2016 , or for the greatest innovations. It is known - if a given motorhome or caravan has received an award, it will be more popular in the new season. When there are more awards and categories, it can stimulate customer interest.

News and curiosities

The visitors' attention was certainly drawn to a replica of the iconic Knaus Tabbert caravan made of Lego bricks . 215 thousand square meters were used to build a vehicle with a height of 2.20 m and a length of 3.60 m. blocks. What is important, however, is the fact that the caravan was completely functional. Inside, there was working lighting, there was also a tap with running water, a refrigerator, a stove and a seating area, and even "block" flowers in a vase made of blocks. No wonder the trailer has been entered in the Guinness Book of Records . It is worth mentioning that Knaus Tabbert allocated one hall for his vehicles.

Most of the well-known manufacturers were present at the fair, and new brands also tried their best. Virtually every manufacturer showed new versions of their vehicles. And so, for example, Burstner showed a "low-budget" model of the City Car - a camper-van at a price of approx. PLN 42 thousand. euro.

He also boasted the Ixeo model, the awarded variant of which is distinguished by a large bed that can be hidden in the headlining. Thanks to this, during the day, when it is not needed, the place to sleep does not take up space in the vehicle.

Dethleffs also picked up on the trend of flexible bed positioning. A novelty is the 4-Travel model with a large, height-adjustable, queen-type bed. The higher we raise the bed, the more storage space we have in the garage.

Dethleffs also showed the brand new Trend model. The manufacturer presented this vehicle as a fully integrated motorhome at the price of a semi-integrated car. Prices start from 59 thousand. euro.

Since we have mentioned the beds, we cannot ignore Hymer , who showed the Van Hymer 374 version as the only 5.99 m long car with two large single beds (182/80 cm and 198 x 80 cm).

A novelty was also a Van S based on a 5.65 m long Mercedes Sprinter for a price from 57 thousand. euro. It is said to be the "most compact" motorhome based on the Sprinter. It can be equipped - optionally - with a double bed or with two single beds.

The Elcamp company from Poland showed the current Globe Traveler motorhomes in Germany, including improved Voyager series models - with raised floors and four sleeping places.

Adria had good news for her clients, who changed the design of their motorhomes. Now the walls of this brand's vehicles are filled with foam, so the manufacturer has extended the warranty for tightness to 7 years.

Interesting facts include the Italian brand Adam Fresh . The company presented a portable air conditioner that has a built-in battery, but can also be connected to the 12V network. So you can use it both in the car and in any other place. The device weighs 6 kilograms. On the manufacturer's website, you can buy them for 1210 euros.

Considering the number of stands, camper vans and caravans shown, it is difficult to prepare a short summary that would include all the novelties shown. However, we will also return to the models shown in Stuttgart (those mentioned and omitted) in subsequent texts. And now we can simply enjoy the fact that - as CMT 2016 has shown - caravanning is doing well and there are no signs that this trend will worsen.