Les voyageurs étrangers en Allemagne ont encore enregistré une hausse significative au cours des neuf premiers mois de 2012. Selon les données fournies par l’Office Fédéral de la Statistique, le nombre de nuitées des visiteurs canadiens a augmenté de 3,1 pour cent, pour la période de janvier à septembre 2012, par rapport à la même période l’an passé. Au cours de cette période, 486 138 nuitées ont été enregistrées, pour les visiteurs canadiens seulement, dans les établissements d’hébergement dotés de plus de dix lits. "La Destination Allemagne continue d’être très populaire auprès des voyageurs canadiens et affiche d’excellents résultats pour les trois premiers trimestres de 2012," a déclaré Ricarda Lindner, directrice régionale de l’Office National Allemand du Tourisme des Amériques.

Le Bureau National Allemand du Tourisme (BNAT), la Deutsche Bahn (DB) – qui est son partenaire de longue date – et 32 villes partenaires ont lancé une application pour Noël. Les visiteurs de la Destination Allemagne peuvent utiliser cette application pour découvrir les marchés de Noël du pays et pour connaître leurs heures d’ouverture, leurs tarifs d’admission et les intérêts majeurs des différentes villes et métropoles. Déjà disponible, cette application est également remplie de conseils pour le magasinage de Noël, d’idées de cadeaux et d’informations sur les traditions typiques du temps des Fêtes mais aussi sur les célébrations du Nouvel An en Allemagne. Cette application mobile est compatible pour le système Android http://bit.ly/UQXQgy et les dispositifs iOS http://bit.ly/SWliv4. Elle est disponible en plusieurs langues, soit l’allemand, l’anglais, le néerlandais, le français et l’italien.

Inbound travel to Germany increased significantly again in the first nine months of 2012. According to figures from the Federal Statistical Office, the number of overnight stays by Canadian visitors from January to September 2012 rose by 3.1 per cent compared to the same period last year. During this period, a total of 486,138 overnight stays by Canadian visitors were recorded in accommodation establishments with more than ten beds. "Destination Germany continues to be very popular with Canadian visitors and excelled over the first three quarters of 2012," stated Ricarda Lindner, Regional Director for the German National Tourist Office in the Americas.

The German National Tourist Board (GNTB), its long-standing partner Deutsche Bahn (DB) and 32 city partners have launched a Christmas app. Visitors to Destination Germany can use the app to discover the country’s Christmas markets and find out about opening hours, admission prices and highlights in the different towns and cities. Available now, the app is also packed with tips on Christmas shopping, typical customs and gifts, and on New Year’s Eve celebrations in Germany. The mobile app for Android http://bit.ly/UQXQgy and iOS devices http://bit.ly/SWliv4 is available in German, English, Dutch, French and Italian.

Toronto, 13 septembre 2012 – Du 19 au 21 mars 2013, l'Office National Allemand du Tourisme (ONAT) tiendra sa première tournée de ventes destinée spécifiquement au marché canadien, permettant ainsi aux partenaires allemands et canadiens d’informer directement tous les intervenants de l’industrie touristique sur les voyages en Allemagne. La tournée s’arrêtera dans les principales régions sources de voyageurs, soit Toronto, Montréal et Vancouver. L' ONAT prévoit ainsi rencontrer environ 240 professionnels de l’industrie du voyage. "L’Allemagne devient de plus en plus populaire auprès des voyageurs canadiens en plus d’être aujourd’hui la troisième destination européenne la plus visitée, après le Royaume-Uni et l’Italie," déclare Petra Hedorfer, directrice générale de l'ONAT. "Et cette tendance tend à continuer."

The German National Tourist Office (GNTO) will be hosting its first roadshow aimed specifically at the Canadian market from 19 to 21 March 2013, giving German and Canadian partners an opportunity to inform the local travel trade about trips to Germany. The roadshow will be stopping off in the main source regions of Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, and the GNTO expects it to attract around 240 travel industry professionals. "Germany is becoming increasingly popular with Canadian travellers and is now the third most visited European travel destination behind the United Kingdom and Italy," said Petra Hedorfer, Chief Executive Officer of the German National Tourist Board in Frankfurt. "This upward trend is set to continue."

La Destination Allemagne connaît une autre bonne année alors qu’elle continue de gagner en popularité auprès des vacanciers de partout dans le monde. Selon les statistiques préliminaires de l’Office Fédéral de la Statistique, les voyageurs internationaux qui ont visité l’Allemagne ont séjourné pour un total de 30 millions de nuitées dans des établissements d’hébergement dotés de plus de dix lits – représentant une hausse de 9 pour cent par rapport à l’année précédente. Les nuitées des visiteurs canadiens en Allemagne ont quant à elles augmenté de 2,2 pour cent au cours des six premiers mois de 2012, avec un total de 274 587.

Apple has placed the new ‘Top 100’ app from the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) on its ‘New and Noteworthy’ page online in Germany. The ‘Top 100’ is featured in Apple’s editorial section of the latest and most interesting apps - as recommended by them. Since its launch in mid-August, a total of almost 3,000 downloads have been recorded, with the highest ratio so far from China, followed by the USA and Japan. This is the first ever mobile app launched by the GNTB and enables visitors to Germany to discover the 100 most popular sites in Germany, as identified by an online survey conducted by the GNTB at the beginning of the year.

Destination Germany is enjoying another good year as it continues to gain in popularity with holidaymakers from around the world. According to preliminary figures from the Federal Statistical Office, international travellers visiting Germany made a total of 30 million overnight stays in accommodation establishments with more than ten beds – a year-on-year increase of 9 per cent. Overnights by Canadian visitors to Germany increased by 2.2 percent for the first six months of 2012 for a total of 274,587.

The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) is an official partner country of the first World Travel Market (WTM) in Latin America, which will take place in Brazil from 23 to 25 April 2013. "This partnership sends out a message for the 2013/14 Germany Year in Brazil and strengthens the already excellent relations between our two countries. Destination Germany is becoming increasingly popular with Brazilian travellers, as shown by the upward trend in the volume of overnight stays," says Ernst Burgbacher, Member of the German Parliament, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economics and Technology and Federal Government Commissioner for SMEs and Tourism.

Le « TOP 100 », une nouvelle application de l'Office National Allemand du Tourisme (ONAT), permet de découvrir les 100 attractions favorites des visiteurs de l'Allemagne. Au début de l'année, l'ONAT a réalisé une enquête auprès des touristes afin de déterminer leurs curiosités préférées. Le classement ainsi constitué contient des sites représentatifs des 16 länder du pays. Les participants ont en effet sélectionné un large éventail d'attractions culturelles et naturelles réparties à travers toute l'Allemagne.

Top 100 is the name of the new app launched by the German National Tourist Board (GNTB), which visitors to Germany can use to find out about the country’s top 100 tourist sights. At the beginning of the year, the GNTB conducted a survey among travellers in Destination Germany to find out what they considered to be their personal highlights. Tourist attractions in all 16 federal states are included in the Top 100. Overall, survey respondents selected a wide spectrum of cultural and natural highlights throughout Germany.

People from all over the world who are fans of the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) have the opportunity until the end of August to compete for their very own dream tour of Germany. The ‘Dream Tour of Germany’ competition is part of a new social media campaign through which the GNTB is promoting the outstanding value for money offered by holidays in Germany compared with other international destinations. The app is being integrated into the GNTB’s international Facebook pages but participants can also play on the GNTB’s website.

La Destination Allemagne a un nouveau site du Patrimoine Mondial. Le 30 juin 2012, le Comité du Patrimoine Mondial de l’UNESCO a ajouté la Maison d’Opéra des Margraves de Bayreuth à sa liste mondiale des trésors naturels et culturels. Le comité a déclaré que la maison d’opéra est un monument unique pour les festivals et la musique de l’Europe Baroque. Cela veut dire que la Destination Allemagne compte maintenant un total de 37 propriétés sous la protection spéciale de l’UNESCO. Peu d’autres pays peuvent se flatter d’avoir une telle richesse et une telle ampleur de sites du patrimoine culturel et naturel.

Jouer au golf est un bon moyen pour maintenir sa forme mentale et physique. Ce sport est depuis longtemps une activité de plaisir populaire auprès des gens de tous âges. Selon l’Association Allemande de Golf, l’Allemagne compte environ 700 terrains de golf. Il y a des parcours destinés à tous les niveaux d’habiletés, pour débutants comme pour les joueurs chevronnés avec des handicaps très bas. “Onze pour cent des visiteurs internationaux qui voyagent en Allemagne positionnent le sport au sommet de leurs activités préférées,” souligne Petra Hedorfer, présidente et directrice générale du Bureau National Allemand du Tourisme (BNAT), en se référant au plus récent sondage de qualité Quality Monitor de l’industrie allemande du tourisme.

Destination Germany has a new World Heritage site. On 30 June 2012 the UNESCO World Heritage Committee added the Margravial Opera House in Bayreuth to its global list of cultural and natural treasures. The committee declared the opera house to be a unique monument to the festivals and music of the European baroque. This means that Destination Germany is now home to a total of 37 properties under the special protection of UNESCO. Few other countries can boast such a wealth and breadth of natural and cultural heritage sites.

Playing golf is a good way of keeping physically and mentally fit. The sport has long been a popular leisure activity for people of all ages. According to the German Golf Association, Germany is home to around 700 golf courses. There is something to suit all abilities, from absolute beginners to seasoned players with low handicaps. “11 per cent of international visitors who travel to Germany rank sport as their top activity,” says Petra Hedorfer, Chief Executive Officer of the German National Tourist Board (GNTB), referring to the latest Quality Monitor survey of the German tourism industry.

The German government is to relax visa regulations for frequent travellers from China, so the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) is expecting a sharp rise in the numbers arriving. As the result of an initiative by the German Embassy in Beijing, it will be easier for frequent travellers from Beijing and Shanghai (business travellers, those visiting family and friends) to get a visa for travel to Germany.

The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) is promoting Destination Germany at the 2012 Expo in South Korea from 12 May to 12 August. This year's World's Fair in the port city of Yeosu has the theme 'The Living Ocean and Coast'. The topography of Germany with its coastlines and coastal regions on the North Sea and Baltic means there is plenty of crossover in this area. "In keeping with the Expo theme, we are promoting sustainable tourism at the UNESCO World Natural Heritage Wadden Sea in Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg", says Petra Hedorfer, Chief Executive Officer of the GNTB. The GNTB is also marketing Germany's 35 other World Heritage sites at the exhibition in Yeosu.

Business travel is a key economic factor for Germany. With this in mind, the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) has created a theme for 2012 entitled 'Germany: open for business – trade fairs and conventions'. The GNTB and the German Convention Bureau (GCB) are jointly promoting Germany's business travel segment in key markets such as China, the United States, Brazil and the UK. At the Meeting Experts Conference (Mexcon), which ended on 20 June in Berlin, more than 700 experts from the world of business, academia and politics discussed the future of the events industry. Mexcon is organised by the European Association of Event Centres (EVVC) and the GCB.

Business travel is a key economic factor for Germany. With this in mind, the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) has created a theme for 2012 entitled 'Germany: open for business – trade fairs and conventions'. The GNTB and the German Convention Bureau (GCB) are jointly promoting Germany's business travel segment in key markets such as China, the United States, Brazil and the UK. At the Meeting Experts Conference (Mexcon), which ended on 20 June in Berlin, more than 700 experts from the world of business, academia and politics discussed the future of the events industry. Mexcon is organised by the European Association of Event Centres (EVVC) and the GCB.

L’Office National Allemand du Tourisme annonce la récente embauche de Sophia Schlundt à titre de nouvelle responsable des ventes pour le Canada. Madame Schlundt se joint à la directrice du bureau canadien de l’ONAT, Anne Dollendorf, et apporte avec elle une expérience significative dans la commercialisation du tourisme et dans la coordination d’événements ainsi que dans le service à la clientèle et le développement de stratégies des médias sociaux. Plus récemment, elle a occupé le poste d’assistante administrative et de la commercialisation à l’École Internationale Allemande de Toronto. Elle y était responsable du développement du réseau de contacts et du service client ainsi que de la planification et l’organisation d’événements et des activités courantes de commercialisation.

Les arrivées des visiteurs en Allemagne continuent de croître. Après un très bon début d’année, voilà que la Destination Allemagne enregistre à nouveau une croissance significative au premier trimestre de 2012. Selon les données de l’Office Fédéral de la Statistique, durant la période de janvier à mars 2012, le nombre de nuitées des visiteurs provenant de l’étranger a augmenté de plus de 10 pour cent comparativement à la même période en 2011. Au total, près de 12,3 millions de nuitées des visiteurs internationaux ont été enregistrées entre le début de l’année et la fin du mois de mars et des croissances significatives ont été observées dans les principaux marchés émetteurs.

Incoming travel to Germany is continuing to grow. After a very good start to the year, Destination Germany again delivered significant growth in the first quarter of 2012. According to figures from the Federal Statistical Office, the number of overnight stays by visitors from abroad in the period from January to March 2012 rose by over 10 per cent compared with the same period in 2011. Overall, almost 12.3 million overnight stays by international visitors were recorded between the start of the year and the end of March, with significant increases in the major source markets.

The German National Tourist Office announces the recent appointment of Sophia Schlundt as its new Sales Manager for Canada. Joining the GNTO’s Canadian office director Anne Dollendorf, Schlundt comes with hands-on background in tourism marketing and event management along with customer service and experience in the development of social media strategies. Most recently, she was Marketing and Administrative Assistant at the German International School in Toronto, her responsibilities including contact development and client service as well as event planning and organization along with regular marketing activities.

L'été est arrivé et les jardins de la bière de l’Allemagne sont ouverts ! Cette tradition bavaroise vieille de 200 ans s’est répandue dans toutes les régions de l’Allemagne. "Selon le tout récent sondage de qualité Quality Monitor mené par l’industrie allemande du tourisme, 60 pour cent des visiteurs internationaux viennent en Allemagne pour l’ambiance et l’art de vivre uniques et 93 pour cent sont attirés par les boissons et la cuisine allemandes traditionnelles", souligne Petra Hedorfer, présidente directrice générale du Bureau National Allemand du Tourisme (BNAT).

Summer is here and Germany's beer gardens are open for business! This 200-year-old Bavarian tradition has now spread to all parts of Germany. "According to the latest Quality Monitor survey of the German tourism industry, 60 per cent of international visitors come to Germany for the country's unique flair and atmosphere, and 93 per cent come for the traditional German food and drink", notes Petra Hedorfer, Chief Executive Officer of the German National Tourist Board (GNTB).

The GCB German Convention Bureau e.V. is delighted to announce the relaunch of its website www.germany-meetings.com. One of the major improvements is a greatly expanded range of available languages. Information will now be presented in Chinese, Italian, French, Spanish and Dutch in addition to the standard German and English. Planners from the Czech Republic, Denmark, Russia, Poland, Portugal, Brazil and Japan will soon also be able to find information in their own languages. When the redesign has been completed, the advantages and attractions of Germany as a destination for meetings and congresses will be presented online to the world in the languages of its twelve most important primary and future markets.

Germany's image as a destination for conferences and events is going from strength to strength. This is the firm belief of 91 per cent of service providers and 92 per cent of event organisers. 'Green meetings' are now an established business segment in Germany with excellent prospects for future growth. 44 per cent of event planners and 51 per cent of service providers believe that the importance of green meetings will continue to grow.

Spendings by international visitors to Germany on business travel including an overnight stay have reached €13.5 billion per year. Combined with the €14.6 billion spent by domestic business travellers, business-related travel now accounts for 24 per cent of total spending in the travel sector for trips including an overnight stay – according to a recent study funded by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi) and published jointly by the BMWi and the Federal Association of the German Tourism Industry (BTW). Germany has become the most popular destination for business trips among European travellers. "The particular importance of international business travel for destination Germany is illustrated by the fact that 48 per cent of the total revenue in this segment is generated by travellers from abroad", explained Petra Hedorfer, Chief Executive Officer the German National Tourist Board (GNTB).

From 13 to 15 May 2012, the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) is hosting the 38th GTM Germany Travel Mart™ together with Leipzig Tourismus und Marketing GmbH and Tourismus Marketing Gesellschaft Sachsen mbH. Other important GNTB partners are Deutsche Lufthansa AG and Deutsche Bahn AG. "The GTM is the biggest event of the year for Germany's inbound travel industry and is extremely important in terms of international marketing. This is where key accounts from all over the world can come together with German suppliers," explained Petra Hedorfer, Chief Executive Officer of the GNTB.

'Vibrant, fashionable, innovative'. The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) plans to use a new broad-based social media campaign to promote Germany as a travel destination around the world, particularly among young travellers. The campaign will be launched at the ITB 2013 in Berlin and will continue throughout 2013 and 2014. The planned campaign will support the theme for 2013: 'Germany for young people – vibrant, fashionable, innovative' which caters to a tourism segment offering vast economic potential. The target group is also huge, with current figures showing that about a third of all international visitors to Germany are under the age of 39. "Young people visiting from abroad today are Destination Germany's future holidaymakers and business travellers. They are becoming an ever more important target group, especially as domestic tourism will be increasingly affected by demographic change," said Petra Hedorfer, Chief Executive Officer of the GNTB.

A first for the GTM: for the entire duration of the 38th GTM Germany Travel Mart™, the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) is engaging in a range of social media activities. The content generated on the individual social media channels will paint a dynamic picture of events at the workshops and will be available online even after the GTM has finished. "This is part of our ongoing Web 2.0 strategy", says Petra Hedorfer, Chief Executive Officer of the GNTB. "As well as offering an authentic picture of what's going on at the trade fair, the multimedia content is also consolidating the impact of this year's Germany Travel Mart™ and extending its reach."

A first for the GTM: for the entire duration of the 38th GTM Germany Travel Mart™, the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) is engaging in a range of social media activities. The content generated on the individual social media channels will paint a dynamic picture of events at the workshops and will be available online even after the GTM has finished. "This is part of our ongoing Web 2.0 strategy", says Petra Hedorfer, Chief Executive Officer of the GNTB. "As well as offering an authentic picture of what's going on at the trade fair, the multimedia content is also consolidating the impact of this year's Germany Travel Mart™ and extending its reach."

La popularité de l’Allemagne a des échos partout dans le monde et les récentes statistiques fédérales le démontrent: les nuitées des visiteurs canadiens en Allemagne ont augmenté de près de 1 pour cent en janvier 2012, pour se chiffrer à 29,252. « C’est un départ positif de la nouvelle année, » a déclaré Bernd Haessler, directeur régional des Amériques par intérim pour l’Office National Allemand du Tourisme (ONAT). « L’offre touristique à multiples facettes de l’Allemagne ainsi que son emphase continue sur le rapport qualité/prix contribuent à cette tendance positive, a-t-il ajouté.

Le Château d’Heidelberg est le grand favori des visiteurs internationaux dans la Destination Allemagne. C’est ce qu’a dévoilé un sondage effectué afin de connaître les 100 attractions les plus appréciées en Allemagne. Le numéro deux sur la liste est le Château de Neuschwanstein et le numéro trois, la Cathédrale de Cologne, un site du Patrimoine Mondial de l’UNESCO. Les 100 attractions touristiques les plus populaires en Allemagne ont été identifiées lors d’un récent sondage mené par le Bureau National Allemand du Tourisme (BNAT).

Echoing Germany’s success from around the world, the overnights by Canadian visitors to Germany increased by nearly 1 percent in January 2012 for a total of 29,252 according to the latest federal statistics. "It is a bright and positive start in the new year," said Bernd Haessler, Acting Regional Manager of the Americas for the German National Tourist Office (GNTO).

Heidelberg Castle is the favourite among international visitors to Destination Germany. This was the finding of a survey undertaken to find out Germany’s top 100 attractions. Number two on the list is Neuschwanstein Castle, followed at number three by Cologne Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Germany’s top 100 tourist attractions were identified in a recent survey carried out by the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) in which it sought the opinions of people who have visited the country. Places of interest in eight different federal states can be found in the top ten. Overall, survey respondents selected a wide range of cultural and natural attractions throughout Germany. The UNESCO World Heritage sites are particularly popular, with 22 of the country’s 36 sites featuring on the list.

En 2010, les voyages d’affaires en Allemagne ont généré près de 66 milliards d’euros en revenus. De ce montant, 14,7 milliards d’euros ont été générés par les voyageurs d’affaires de l’international, soit plus de 22 pour cent. Selon l’Institut Allemand pour la Recherche Économique (le DIW), les foires commerciales, les congrès, les conférences et les autres événements professionnels en Allemagne représentent la moitié de tous les voyages d’affaires internationaux.

In 2010, travelling on business in Germany generated close to € 66 billion of revenue, including international business travel, which contributed € 14.7 billion to the overall total, more than 22 per cent. According to the German Institute of Economic Research (DIW), trade fairs, conventions, conferences and other professional events in Germany account for half of all international business trips.

L’Allemagne Créative est le slogan adopté pour mettre en relief le côté nouveau, jeune et créatif de l’Allemagne en tant que destination voyage. « L’Allemagne est traditionnellement connue en tant que pays des poètes et philosophes, souligne Petra Hedorfer, directrice générale du Bureau National Allemand du Tourisme (BNAT). Mais même aujourd’hui, les gens de notre pays instituent encore chaque jour des tendances, lesquelles voient le jour grâce à des idées novatrices qui poussent les frontières de l’art. » Le célèbre label 'Conçu en Allemagne' a évolué jusqu’à devenir la marque “Créé en Allemagne”. De facto, les ambassadeurs de cette marque sont notamment des peintres contemporains populaires tels que Neo Rauch, Bernhard Heisig, Werner Tübke et Wolfgang Mattheurer, tous des personnages illustres de l’École de Leipzig qui se sont battis un nom à travers le monde.

Creative Germany is the slogan for a new, young and creative side to Germany as a travel destination. "Germany is traditionally known as the country of poets and philosophers", says Petra Hedorfer, Chief Executive Officer of the German National Tourist Board (GNTB). But even now, people in our country are still setting trends every day, coming up with innovative ideas and pushing the boundaries of art. The famous 'Made in Germany' label has evolved into a 'Created in Germany' brand. De facto brand ambassadors include popular contemporary painters such as Neo Rauch, Bernhard Heisig, Werner Tübke and Wolfgang Mattheurer, all exponents of the Leipzig School who have made a name for themselves around the world. Germany has also become a magnet for international architects, designers and creators of fashion, and it's pulling in the visitors too.

Spiritual travel is playing an important role in the marketing undertaken by the German National Tourist Board (GNTB). The 500th anniversary of the Reformation marked by the Luther decade (2007 to 2017) is a key milestone in the promotion of this segment. The GNTB is using a wide range of marketing campaigns in defined key markets to promote the theme while working closely with Geschäftsstelle Luther 2017, the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), regional tourism organisations and the main towns and cities in Germany with historical links to Luther. Their joint activities focus on the USA, Canada, Scandinavia, Italy, the Netherlands and South Korea where there is a strong bias towards Protestantism and Lutheranism.

Les célébrations entourant la fête de Pâques sont parmi les plus anciennes et uniques et les plus traditionnelles en Allemagne. Une myriade de traditions régionales différentes, des marchés de Pâques et des célébrations spéciales voient le jour plusieurs semaines avant la fin de semaine de quatre jours de Pâques, cette année du 5 au 9 avril 2012. Plusieurs traditions pascales nord-américaines - dont la décoration d'oeufs, les arbres de Pâques, le jeu d'oeufs de Pâques et bien entendu le lapin en chocolat de Pâques - ont été amenées en Amérique du Nord par les immigrants allemands.

The Easter celebrations are among the oldest, most traditional and unique celebrations in Germany. A myriad of differing regional traditions, Easter markets and special celebrations start weeks before the four day Easter weekend from April 5 to April 9, 2012. Many of the North American Easter traditions, including egg decorating, Easter trees and Easter egg game and of course the chocolate Easter bunny were brought to North America by German immigrants.

The German National Tourist Board has been encouraging students from 126 universities in the United Kingdom and Ireland to take part in a competition they ran on Facebook from 2 November to 16 December. Flyers and posters have been used to draw attention to the campaign, together with a series of online measures including banners on websites for student unions and other student services, advertisements on Facebook and posts on relevant student society and association websites. As a result, up to 2.4 million UK and Irish students have been reached. The prize on offer was an eight-day trip to Germany with a friend. The lucky pair will post live daily reports of their experiences in Germany, upload photos and share information on their latest travel discoveries.

The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) has a new representative office in Australia. Following a thorough appraisal of the bids received, the decision was taken to award the contract to GATE 7 in Woolloomooloo, Sydney. "Australia is an important market for Germany's incoming tourism industry", explained Petra Hedorfer, Chief Executive Officer of the GNTB.

Germany is more popular than ever as a travel destination and achieved impressive figures last year despite the tough global economic situation. "In 2011, Destination Germany beat the record set in the previous year by notching up 63.8 million overnight stays by foreign visitors. What's more, there were 330.3 million overnight stays by Germans in Germany, making it the most popular destination for the domestic market.

International visitors spend almost €15 billion per year on business travel in Germany according to a recent study funded by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi) and published jointly by the BMWi and the Federal Association of the German Tourism Industry (BTW).

Business travel is a key economic factor for tourism in Germany and accounts for about 30 per cent of all travel from abroad. Visits to trade fairs, meetings, incentives, conferences and events make up around half of all business trips to Germany.

Wine and food will be a key focus for the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) in 2012. The GNTB and the German Wine Institute (DWI) have teamed up with strategic partners Rheinland-Pfalz Tourismus GmbH, Tourismus Marketing GmbH Baden-Württemberg (TMBW) and Stuttgart-Marketing GmbH as well as other regional partners to promote the theme 'Discover the taste of Germany' around the world.

The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) is opening a new sales and marketing agency in Belgrade this month, from where it will provide coverage for the markets in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro, Romania and Serbia. This move is in response to the increasing volume of travel from the Balkans to Germany.

This year, the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) will focus on three major cultural events in its global press and PR activities: 800 years of Thomana, dOCUMENTA (13) and the 300th anniversary of Frederick the Great's birth. These highlights will enable Germany to once again showcase itself as a land of art and culture.

Next year, the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) will be training the spotlight on youth travel in its global sales and marketing activities. The 'Germany for young people – vibrant, fashionable, innovative' theme caters to a tourism segment offering vast economic potential. The target group is also huge, with current figures showing that about a third of all international visitors to Germany are under the age of 34.

The partnership concept of the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) has been strengthened by two new additions. The GNTB's Board of Directors voted unanimously to add visitBerlin (Berlin Tourismus & Kongress GmbH) and IHB Travel GmbH as partners. "I am delighted that, in visitBerlin and IHB Travel, we now have two further strong advocates of tourism in Germany at our side", said Petra Hedorfer, Chief Executive Officer of the GNTB. "Our proven public-private partnership concept is a perfect combination of expertise and resources, ensuring continual innovation in the marketing of Destination Germany."

The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has announced that the new multilingual website promoting Destination Germany has won one of its Gold Awards in 2012. This is in recognition of the high standards found throughout the interactive site, which is available in 26 languages — including Chinese, Japanese and Korean. "The completely new navigation system and architecture mean the website can be accessed from all the latest mobile end devices", says Petra Hedorfer, Chief Executive Officer of the German National Tourist Board (GNTB).

Germany is becoming increasingly important as a destination for Chinese travellers. "In 2011, we recorded more than 1.3 million overnight stays by Chinese visitors. This represents a year-on-year increase of 21 per cent and surpasses the record figures we achieved in 2010. According to the Federal Foreign Office, we are the third biggest issuer of foreign visas in China", says Petra Hedorfer, Chief Executive Officer of the German National Tourist Board (GNTB).

Germany is more popular than ever as a travel destination and achieved impressive figures last year despite the tough global economic situation. "In 2011, Destination Germany beat the record set in the previous year by notching up 63.8 million overnight stays by foreign visitors. What's more, there were 330.3 million overnight stays by Germans in Germany, making it the most popular destination for German people.

"By getting more involved in social media, we expect to reach new target groups and to raise the volume of overnight stays – particularly among younger travellers", says Petra Hedorfer, Chief Executive Officer of the German National Tourist Board (GNTB). In 2011, the GNTB began to step up its social media activities in China, the world's biggest internet market with around 500 million people online. The primary communication tool is Sina Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter. By the beginning of 2012, the GNTB had more than 100,000 followers, making this one of the most attractive and actively used platforms for promoting Destination Germany. Regular posts about events, offers, culture and shopping strengthen interaction with consumers and send out a positive message about Germany as a travel destination. The aim of using social networks such as Weibo is also to drive more traffic to the GNTB website.

The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) has announced several personnel changes in its foreign representative offices for the beginning of the year. On 1 January 2012, Alla Belikova became the new head of the GNTB sales and marketing agency in Russia. Belikova is the owner and managing director of Moscow-based sales and marketing agency Pro-Mark GmbH and works as a representative of the hotel industry in Germany and Russia. Until 2010, Belikova was the Eastern Europe area manager for the Kempinski hotel group in Moscow and has a wide range of contacts in the Russian tourism and hotel industry.

Countless travel guides and surveys provide information about the most popular attractions in Germany. But now, in its own survey, the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) is turning directly to the people who have already visited the country in order to find the top 100 must-see attractions in Destination Germany. The results are being incorporated into a special app which will be available from summer 2012 in English and German for Apple and Android devices.

D'innombrables études et guides touristiques recensent les attractions les plus prisées en Allemagne. L'Office National Allemand du Tourisme (ONAT) réalise sa propre enquête auprès des visiteurs étrangers afin de déterminer leurs 100 sites touristiques favoris en Allemagne. Les résultats alimenteront le développement d'une application qui sera disponible à partir de l'été 2012 en anglais et en allemand sur l'App Store et en version Android.

Destination Germany continues to post excellent results for the final months of 2011, reporting growth from its key source markets. Despite the tense global economic situation, and with only December's figures to come, the German travel industry is on course to finish the year on a high. In November, the German Federal Statistical Office recorded a 6 per cent year-on-year increase in the volume of overnight stays made by international guests. October was similarly successful and between January and November 2011, there were almost 59.5 million overnight stays by visitors to Germany, an increase of 5.5 per cent compared with the same period of the previous year. "There are clear indications that we will achieve our growth forecast for the full year. The results for November continue the trend for the year as a whole, in which we have continually exceeded the figures from the record year of 2010", said Petra Hedorfer, Chief Executive Officer of the German National Tourist Board (GNTB).

Five tourism trade fairs feature in the January programme for the German National Tourist Board (GNTB). The GNTB exhibits at trade fairs around the world in order to build on the positive image of Destination Germany and to help medium-sized businesses to market their tourism products to an international audience. "Major travel fairs are an important sales channel and continue to be of great benefit to us, even in the age of online marketing", says Petra Hedorfer, Chief Executive Officer of the GNTB.

Canadian wine lovers appreciating culture and natural scenery should consider a holiday in Germany’s wine regions. Visiting the website www.germany.travel will give them a taste for this kind of trip to Germany and help plan it. Following the menu site prompts for ‘Towns, Cities & Culture’, then ‘Gemütlichkeit’ and ‘Wine country’ will result in information on Germany’s wine-growing regions, including on wine hotels, shops, festivals, wine routes and ‘landmarks of wine culture.’

The latest edition of the German National Tourist Board’s city guide has undergone a major revision. Reflecting Germany’s foreign visitors’ travel patterns observed over recent years, the new Vibrant Towns and Cities brochure focusses on towns and cities exclusively, presenting a total of 58 of them with short introductory profiles, followed by synapses of city-specific highlights.

In 2012, the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) is putting the focus on the wines, the culture and the cuisine of Destination Germany. To this end, it has signed a cooperation agreement with the German Wine Institute, and linked up with Rheinland Pfalz Tourismus GmbH as a regional partner. Under the banner 'Discover the taste of Germany', the GNTB, the German Wine Institute and their regional partners are promoting Germany around the world through the theme 'Wine heritage and nature – fine wine and good times'. The aim is to build on Germany's image as an outstanding travel destination for fine food and drink and to encourage more people to visit its fantastic wine regions.

Frankfurt am Main / Berlin, 12 January 2012 – The health megatrend – a product of demographic change, changing lifestyles and a new focus on health – looks set to generate unprecedented demand for travel to Germany in the coming decades. This is confirmed by an online survey carried out by the German National Tourist Board (GNTB), in which 300 or so travel experts from twelve different countries were asked to give their views. Nearly 40 per cent of them predicted that the volume of healthoriented travel will rise over the next 20 years. According to Euromonitor, nature and medical tourism will be the major growth areas for the travel industry up to 2015, with annual increases of 6.8 and 5.5 per cent respectively. In Germany, the number of purely health-motivated trips more than doubled between 2009 and 2010. The World Travel Monitor indicates that 341,000 Europeans visited Germany exclusively for health reasons in 2010 –less than half the figure for the previous year (2009:157,000).

Travel to Germany, January to October 2011
The tough global economic situation is not hampering the upturn in Germany's incoming tourism industry. Quite the opposite: Germany was once again an extremely popular global travel destination in October 2011. The German Federal Statistical Office registered 5.9 per cent more overnight stays by international visitors than in October 2010. Between January and October 2011, there were almost 55.4 million overnight stays by visitors to Germany, which represents an increase of 5.5 per cent compared with the same period of the previous year. "Since the start of the year, we have continually exceeded the figures from the record year of 2010", said Petra Hedorfer, Chief Executive Officer of the German National Tourist Board (GNTB). "This indicates that we will achieve our growth forecast of 4 per cent for visitors from Germany and abroad by the end of the year."