​​​​​​​#SeeYouSoon: Germany Inspires Cultural Travel this Summer

• German National Tourism Board unveils German.Local.Culture. campaign during conclusion of Arabian Travel Market 2021
• GCC is one of Germany’s top three overseas traveller source markets

Dubai, UAE, 20 May, 2021 – The German National Tourist Board’s (GNTB) has launched its latest campaign, German.Local.Culture., on the back of a successful Arabian Travel Market participation which stimulated strong interest from GCC travel representatives.

As one of Germany’s top three source markets, which registered more than 1.6 million overnight stays in 2019, the GCC is a key focus for the tourism board, who led a delegation of six tourism partners during the first live travel exhibition in Dubai this week.

“The relationship between the GCC and Germany remains extremely strong, and with the announcement earlier about changes to quarantine regulations, we are optimistic for a swift traveller recovery from the region,” said Yamina Sofo, Director of Sales & Marketing, German National Tourist Office (GNTO), the regional office of GNTB. “The new campaign, German.Local.Culture., will not only showcase the very best that Germany and our regions has to offer, but will further showcase the destination as a must visit.”

In a study by the European Travel Commission (ETC) from February 2021, recovery was the main motivation for travel for 66 per cent of Europeans. Of these, 14.8 per cent are mainly interested in nature and outdoor activities and 13 per cent in culture and cultural heritage.

"The German.Local.Culture. campaign addresses the increased longing of travellers for authenticity and traditions and gives insights into German customs from handicrafts to local and regionally typical dishes,” Petra Hedorfer, Chairwoman of the Executive Board of the GNTB, said.

The campaign aims to inspire travellers to journey off the beaten track when exploring Germany this summer to discover the special flair of German cities and the people who live in them. Visitors are encouraged to experience the country’s traditional professions and the people who are redefining their centuries-old craft, as well as its green oasis in nature. Renowned for its outdoor spaces and sustainability, Germany is also showcasing regional culinary delicacies through the German.Local.Culture. campaign.

Potential vacationers can find travel information in four different subject areas: Craft (German customs and traditional craftsmanship), Taste (handmade enjoyment and regional cuisine), Flair (centuries-old culture), and Green (pure nature and green sustainability). The campaign-related microsite www.germany.travel/de/kampagne/german-local-culture/home.html serves as a central inspiration and information hub.

During ATM 2021, Germany’s Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany in Dubai, Holger Mahnicke, attended to reemphases the importance of the market as an inbound travel market and met with the delegation of partners, which included: Baden-Baden Tourism Board, the official representative for the city; visitBerlin, the official tourism and convention office for the capital of Germany; Outletcity Metzingen, the outlet shopping destination in southern Germany; Munich Airport VIP services; Munich Tourism Office; the official tourism office of the Bavarian capital, and Studiosus Incoming, the touristic service group based in Munich.

Commenting on the success of ATM, Robert Lekel, Marketing Manager at Munich Tourism, said: “It was great being at ATM this year, we are able to be visible and show future and returning customers, and travellers, that we are waiting for them and hopeful for flights again. We felt the positive spirit between everyone, we are very happy to connect once again.”

His thoughts were echoed by Cornelia Stahr, Head of Global Marketing at Baden-Baden Tourism, who added: “I am very happy the Arabian Travel Market could take place in person again, and I think it’s a good sign not only for the GCC markets, but internationally as well. It is a great sign for tourism to kickstart again. We have been away for almost two years with no live internactions, so it feels great to meet face to face. We are on a good track to reopen for tourism again and thats essential in so many ways.”

Angela Rieger, Sales & Tourism Manager at Outletcity Metzingen, added: “Arabian Travel Market has set a great stage for the restart of international tourism. After such a long time being away, it was great to meet with partners and travellers once again. Seeing all the interest in shopping at Outletcity Metzingen and travelling to Germany is very exciting to see.”

Their opinions of the exhibition were shared by other exhibiting partners, who also added how well received Germany and its product offering from visiting travel agents from across the region.

“The show this year had very positive energy all around. With proper COVID regulations followed, we were able to meet with many agents who were very hopeful to start up business again. I was quite occupied all throughout the show, which had surprised me in the best way possible, seeing as Germany is hopeful on opening their boarders again,” Michaela Tedsen, Business Development - Studiosus Incoming, noted.

Photo caption 1: Holger Mahnicke, Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany in Dubai and Yamina Sofo, Director of Sales & Marketing, German National Tourist Office (GNTO), the regional office of the German National Tourist Board (GNTB), with members of GNTB and its partners during their participation at Arabian Travel Market (ATM 2021).

ENDS

About the GNTB

The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) is Germany’s national tourism organisation. It works on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) to represent Germany as a tourist destination and is funded by the Ministry in accordance with a decision taken by the German Bundestag. Working closely with the German travel industry and private-sector partners and trade associations, the GNTB develops strategies and marketing campaigns to promote Germany’s positive image abroad as a tourist destination and to encourage tourists to visit the country.

The GNTB has a three-pronged recovery strategy for overcoming the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic:

• Raising awareness of the Destination Germany brand and enhancing the brand profile
• Supporting the travel industry, which is dominated by small and medium-sized businesses, through relationship management and the sharing of knowledge   
• Developing evidence-based action plans on the basis of targeted market research and ongoing analysis of the impact of coronavirus.

During this crisis, the GNTB is using countercyclical marketing to maintain dialogue with customers, it is reflecting changing preferences in its communications, and it is showing empathy and providing inspiration.

Focus on digitalisation and sustainability.

The GNTB promotes forward-looking and sustainable tourism in line with the objectives of the German government. The focus here is on digitalisation and sustainability. The GNTB is a pioneer when it comes to using immersive technologies (virtual, augmented and mixed reality), voice assistants and other conversational interfaces, and artificial intelligence applications such as chatbots. To ensure that tourism offerings are visible on AI-based marketing platforms, the GNTB coordinates the German tourism industry’s open-data project, which aims to develop a tourism knowledge graph.

Sustainability has been a core overarching topic for more than a decade and we engage with it as a strategic issue across all areas of the organisation. Our organisation follows a three-pillar strategy that combines the sharing of knowledge with external partners and a supporting communications strategy with our internal sustainability initiative. The GNTB promotes responsible tourism, a key growth area, by showcasing Germany as a sustainable and inclusive destination in the international travel market. This is particularly important as the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the global shift in travellers’ values towards greater social and environmental responsibility.

The GNTB has 27 foreign agencies that cover more than 40 markets around the world. Its head office in Frankfurt, Germany, is home to strategic departments such as Business Intelligence, Business Development and Brand Communications for Destination Germany.

Further information can be found in our online press center at www.germany.travel/presse. To download press pictures, please register via: https://dam.germany.travel

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For further information, please contact:

Emma Patterson / Yara Hamdan, germantourism@actionprgroup.com, +971 50 8212091