Petra Hedorfer, Chief Executive Officer (CEO): “After two years of the Corona pandemic and against the backdrop of the terrible war in Ukraine, the tourism industry is facing major challenges. In this situation, it is important to send out a signal for peaceful tourism that brings people together and stands for openness to the world and tolerance. The campaign German.Local.Culture. convey exactly this peaceful coexistence of generations, traditions, and different cultural influences. With the launch of the campaign, we are reflecting authentic, local experiences in urban destinations with the integration of rural areas and their sustainable tourism offers. With countless travel events, the campaign also aims to promote Germany as a destination for longer for culturally interested travelers, families, and active vacationers in the source markets.”
German.Local.Culture. will be launched digitally as a cross-media inspiration campaign based on the Social first principle in important source markets for German incoming tourism digitally. The campaign will have a wide reach via programmatic advertising, social advertising, social media channels and influencer measures. Events for in various source markets convey an authentic image of Germany as a travel destination.
Talking on the occasion Mr. Romit Theophilus, Director for India, The German National Tourist Office said Germany as a travel destination offers a wealth of hidden treasures for Indian travellers. Picturesque Old Towns, urban city vitality, impressive industrial monuments, castles and palaces, romantic vineyards and unspoiled nature, there is so much to discover for Indians when travelling to Germany. With the easing of restrictions, travellers can look forward to local festivals as well as vibrant life once again. Theophilus added, we look forward to welcoming you and your family for your next holiday in Germany”.
A microsite serves as an inspiration and information hub. Visitors to the site receive travel tips and topic suggestions from an AI-powered chatbot. An emotional image film presents Germany’s diversity as a cultural and natural destination to potential travellers.
The microsite leads directly to four theme clusters. These four thematic clusters Flair, Craft, Taste and Green represent the special architecture, the authentic ambience, the German tradition with its manufactories and craftsmanship as well as the traditional regional German cuisine and the beauty of nature and give them orientation in the tourist environment. Selected protagonists with their very personal stories show how German.Local.Culture. is rooted in the everyday life of people in Germany. The range of tourism products in all four thematic clusters is predominantly by small and medium-sized enterprises.
Background
The international marketing of Destination Germany is based on the two pillars of the brand core “Cities & Culture” and “Nature & Recreation. Sustainability and accessibility are firmly anchored in the brand core as overarching facets. According to analyses conducted by IPK International on behalf of the GNTB, city breaks (59 per cent), round trips (34 per cent) and nature-oriented vacations (30 per cent) are at the top of the ranking of the types of vacation planned by people interested in German vacations worldwide.
The GNTB is responsible for organizing this trade event for the eighth time in succession responsible for organizing this specialist event.
About GNTO, India
The German National Tourist Office India is the official representative office of the German National Tourist Board. With its inception in 2006, the GNTO is based in New Delhi to facilitate, strategize and implement the goals outlined by German National Tourist Board (DZT) to enhance the positive image of Destination Germany.
About 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 Climate Action 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. During lockdown, GNTB used countercyclical marketing to maintain dialogue with customers, reflect changing preferences in its communications, and show empathy and provide inspiration.
Focus on digitization 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.
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