Turistička organizacija Nemačke će u periodu od 21. do 24. februara 2013. godine učestvovati na 35. Međunarodnom sajmu turizma u Beogradu kao zemlja partner. „Nastup Nemačke kao zemlje partnera u skladu je sa našom strategijom predstavljanja turističkih potencijala Nemačke na tržištu jugoistočne Evrope. Turistička organizacija Nemačke je tokom 2012. godine dobila dodatna sredstva u iznosu od 500.000 evra za realizaciju ovog cilja“, izjavio je Ernst Burgbaher (Ernst Burgbacher), parlamentarni državni sekretar u Saveznom ministarstvu za privredu i tehnologiju i poverenik Savezne vlade za turizam i mala i srednja preduzeća.

33 posto putnika koji dolaze na odmor u Nemačku iz inostranstva su prema Monitoringu kvaliteta turizma u Nemačkoj za 2010/2011 mlađi od 39 godina, a oko 14 posto svrstava se u starosnu grupu od 14 do 29 godina. Tokom 2011. godine Nemačka kao turistička destinacija u kategoriji mladih turista uzrasta od 15 do 34 godine beleži rast od 4,5 posto u odnosu na prethodnu godinu.

Nemačka je prošle godine uspela da na impresivan način poboljša svoju poziciju kao jedna od omiljenih destinacija u Evropi i da zabeleži značajan rast sa najvažnijih tržišta.“, izjavila je Petra Hedorfer, predsednica upravnog odbora Turističke organizacije Nemačke (DZT). Evropljani su u 2011. godini ostvarili 42,7 miliona putovanja u Nemačkoj, te se ona nalazi na drugom mestu po omiljenosti kod putnika iz Evrope, odmah posle Španije.

2.000 godina istorije, bogata kultura, kosmopolitizam, modernost i uzbudljivi pejzaži – „Deutschland einfach freundlich“. Taj moderan, multimedijalni prikaz Nemačke kao turističke destinacije sa tekstovima, slikama, video-prikazima i panoramama (360 stepeni), svi zainteresovani mogu da nadju na internet adresi www.germany.travel.

U sektoru turizma u Nemačkoj radi 2,9 miliona ljudi i 2010. godine je prema studiji Saveznog udruženja nemačke turističke privrede (BTW/BMWi, 2012.) sa skoro 100 milijardi evra doprineo BDP-u Nemačke sa 4,4 posto. Poređenja radi, udeo gradjevinarastva je 4,3 posto, a doprinos industrije motornih vozila je svega 2,3 posto.

Turistička organizacija Nemačke (DZT) je 2012. god postala član Dunavskog centra za kompetenciju (DCC) i planira da se snažno da angažuje da se od Dunava napravi brend poznat širom Evrope i sveta. «Polazeći od strategije EU za Podunavlje, posebno dela koji se odnosi na turizam i kulturu, DZT analizira najznačajnije potencijale za Nemačku koje želi da na najbolji način u narednom periodu iskoristi», kaže Petra Hedorfer, predsednica upravnog odbora DZT-a.

Turistička organizacija Nemačke (DZT) je zajedno sa partnerom Dunavskim centrom za kompetenciju (DCC) u martu 2012. otvorila regionalnu kancelariju u Beogradu koja pokriva tržišta Bosne i Hercegovine, Bugarske, Hrvatske, Crne Gore, Rumunije i Srbije. Kancelarija, na čijem je čelu Nebojša Matijašević, iskusan stručnjak i dobar poznavalac branše, ima za cilj da kroz saradnju sa predstavnicima turističke industrije i medijima unapredi imidž Nemačke kao turističke destinacije.

Nemački turizam i u prvih šest meseci ove godine beleži veliki rast. Prema podacima nemačkog Saveznog zavoda za statistiku u periodu od januara do juna je ostvareno skoro 30 miliona noćenja, što je povećanje od 9 posto u odnosu na isti period prošle godine. „Procenjujemo da će u 2012. broj noćenja stranih gostiju porasti za dva do tri posto. Imajući u vidu aktuelnu ekonomsku situaciju u Evropi, rano je za prognoze o kretanjima u drugoj polovini godine. Broj poslovnih putovanja će u narednim mesecima imati značajan uticaj na konačni godišnji rezultat nemačkog incoming-turizma» izjavila je Petra Hedorfer, predsednica upravnog odbora Turističke organizacije Nemačke (DZT).

Čak 33 % inozemnih gostiju u Njemačkoj su po podacima Monitora kvalitete njemačkog turizma za 2010/2011 mlađi od 39 godina, a oko 14 posto ih spada u dobnu skupinu od 14 do 29 godina. U 2011. je u Njemačkoj kao turističkoj destinaciji zabilježen porast mladih turista u dobi od 15 do 34 godine od približno 4,5 posto u odnosu na godinu prije. Ukupno je porast dolazaka turista iz tih dobnih skupina u razdoblju od 2008. do 2011. iznosio oko 30 posto.

33 % dintre turiștii străini care își petrec concediul în Germania au conform Qualitätsmonitor Deutschland-Tourismus 2010/2011 o vârstă de până la 39 de ani, aproximativ 14% încadrându-se într-o clasă de vârstă între 14 și 29 de ani. În 2011 s-ar putea evidenția o creștere de 4,5 procente a numărului de turiști între 15 și 34 de ani față de anul anterior. Intervalul 2008 – 2011 a totalizat o majorare de 30% pentru grupa de vârstă menționată. În topul preferințelor se poziționează excursiile culturale, pachetele tip city break, vizitarea obiectivelor turistice, shopping și divertismentul.

33 процента от идващите на почивка от чужбина в Германия са по-млади от 39 години. Това твърди Мониторингът по качеството на туризма в Германия за 2010/2011. Около 14 процента спадат към възрастовата група от 14 до 29-годишни. През 2011 година туристическата дестинация Германия успя да привлече повече млади туристи на възраст между 15 и 34, с което реализира увеличение от 4,5 процента в сравнение с предходната година. Общо увеличението в тази възрастова група между 2008 и 2011 година е от около 30 процента. Тази целева група обича да посещава градове и културни забележителности, предпочита да се разхожда на воля, да пазарува и да се забавлява.

„Njemačka je prošle godine uspjela impresivno ojačati svoju poziciju kao jedne od najpoželjnijih turističkih destinacija u Europi i zabilježiti znatan porast dolazaka s najvažnijih emitivnih tržišta“, rekla je Petra Hedorfer, predsjednica Uprave Njemačke turističke zajednice (DZT). U Njemačkoj je 2011. godine ukupno ostvareno 42,7 milijuna turističkih dolazaka iz Europe. Time se Njemačka s porastom od 7 posto našla na drugom mjestu rang-liste najpoželjnijih turističkih destinacija u Europi, odmah iza prvoplasirane Španjolske. Istodobno je povećala razliku prema treće plasiranoj Francuskoj. Njemačka i kao destinacija kulturnog turizma zauzima visoku poziciju i nalazi se na drugom mjestu europske ljestvice najposjećenijih kulturnih destinacija.

„În ultimul an, Germania şi-a consolidat în mod impresionant poziţia printre cele mai iubite destinaţii de vacanţă din Europa şi a înregistrat creşteri semnificative din pieţele sursă principale“, explică Petra Hedorfer, Preşedinta Consiliului Director al Organizaţiei Germane pentru Turism (DZT). Germania a înregistrat în 2011 un total de 42,7 milioane de călătorii din Europa. Astfel, cu o creştere de şapte procente, Germania se află pe locul al doilea ca destinaţie turistică a europenilor, după Spania (plus opt procente).

„Германия успя през изминалата година да утвърди позицията си на една от най-предпочитаните туристически държави в Европа и да реализира значителен ръст на най-важните си пазари, генериращи туристи“, споделя Петра Хедорфер, Председател на Управителния съвет на Туристическия борд на Германия DZT. Общо през 2011 година Германия е регистрирала 42,7 милиона пътувания от Европа. С това Германия се радва на увеличение от седем процента и се нарежда на втора позиция сред любимите дестинации на европейците, веднага след Испания.

2.000 tisuće godina povijesti, značajna kultura, otvorenost prema svijetu, suvremenost i raznolikost krajolika – „Njemačka jednostavno bliska“ – sve je to Njemačka kao turistička destinacija. Taj moderan, multimedijalni prikaz turističke destinacije Njemačke s tekstovima, fotografijama, videozapisima i virtualnim turama odnosno panoramama od 360 stupnjeva svi zainteresirani mogu pronaći na internetskoj adresi www.germany .travel. Sistematizirano po temama „Gradovi & kultura“, „Slobodno vrijeme & odmor“ ili „Specijalno“, stranica nudi više od 560 videoclipova, oko 12.000 fotografija i 265 virtualnih šetnji s 360-stupanjskim panoramama svim posjetiteljima i gostima u Njemačkoj, i to na 28 jezika među kojima i srpskom, hrvatskom, bugarskom i rumunjskom. Ostale jezične verzije još su u pripremi.

2000 de ani de istorie, cultură, deschidere, cosmopolitism, modernitate şi peisaje diversificate – “Germany simply friendly” aceasta este Germania, destinaţia de vacanţă.

2.000 години история, значима култура, широко отворени врати към света, съвременност и разнообразни пейзажи – всичко това характеризира Германия като туристическа дестинация. Едно модерно, мултимедийно представяне на Германия като туристическа дестинация чрез текст, снимки, видеофилми и 360-градусови панорами заинтересованите могат да намерят в интернет на адрес www.germany.travel.

Turizam stvara 2,9 milijuna izravnih radnih mjesta, a 2010. godine je, po podacima istraživanja saveznog Udruženja njemačkog turističkog gospodarstva (BTW/BMWi, DIW econ, 2012), pridonio gotovo 100 milijardi eura (4,4 posto) novostvorenoj bruto vrijednosti u Njemačkoj. Za usporedbu treba navesti da je izravni udio automobilske industrije u novostvorenoj bruto vrijednosti iznosio 2,3 posto, a cjelokupni građevinski sektor dosegnuo je 4,3 posto.

Sectorul turistic generează 2,9 mil. locuri de muncă contribuind in 2010 cu aproape 100 miliarde Eur (4,4%) la produsul intern brut conform studiului Asociaţiei Naţionale a Sectorului Touristic (BTW/BMWi, DIW econ, 2012). Aportul industriei automotive la PIB însumează 2,3%, in timp ce industria construcţiilor atinge pragul de 4.3%.

Туризмът създава 2,9 милиона директни работни места и през 2010 година според изследване на Федералния съюз на Германската туристическа индустрия (BTW/BMWi, DIW econ, 2012) е добавил към брутния вътрешен продукт на Германия почти 100 милиарда евро (4,4 процента). За сравнение: Директният дял на автомобилната индустрия към брутния вътрешен продукт възлиза на 2,3 процента, а целия строителен сектор отчита 4,3 процента.

Kao članica Dunavskog centra za kompetenciju (DCC), organizacije podunavskih zemalja, Njemačka turistička zajednica (DZT) odredila je kao svoj cilj pretvaranje podunavskog prostora u brend poznat u Europi i širom svijeta. DZT je članica Dunavskog centra za kompetenciju od 2012. godine. „S obzirom na aktualnu Strategiju EU-a za čitav podunavski prostor, kojom se žele ojačati zajedničke kulturne karakteristike i izgledi za razvoj turizma podunavskih zemalja, DZT je odlučio analizirati specifične tržišne potencijale Njemačke kao turističke destinacije i iskoristiti ih za jačanje turističkih dolazaka u Njemačku“, rekla je Petra Hedorfer, predsjednica Uprave DZT-a.

În postura de membru al organizaţiei Danube Competence Center (DCC), reprezentând asociația statelor riverine Dunării, Organizaţia Germană pentru Turism îşi propune să poziționeze regiunea Dunării ca marcă recunoscută la nivel european dar şi la nivel mondial. „În contextul actual al dezvoltării strategiei Dunării la nivelul UE în vederea susţinerii elementelor culturale comune şi promovării sectorului turistic din ţările riverane, DZT intenționează să analizeze potenţialul specific diferitelor pieţe pentru potenţarea segmentului incoming în Germania”, afirmă Petra Hedorfer, Preşedinte al Consiliului Director al DZT.

Като член на Дунавския център за компетенции (Danube Competence Center, DCC), обединението на Дунавските държави, Туристическият борд на Германия DZT си е поставил за цел, да превърне Дунавския регион в разпознаваема и добре позната марка за Европа и света. От 2012 година Туристическият борд на Германия DZT е член на Дунавският център за компетенции.

Njemačka turistička zajednica (DZT) otvorila je s partnerskom udrugom Dunavskim centrom za kompetenciju (DCC) u ožujku 2012. u Beogradu regionalni ured koja zastupa interese Njemačke kao turističke destinacije na tržištima Bosne i Hercegovine, Bugarske, Hrvatske, Crne Gore, Rumunjske i Srbije. Ravnatelj ureda Nebojša Matijašević kao iskusni turistički stručnjak radi na jačanju pozitivnog imidža Njemačke i u ime DZT-a surađuje u umrežavanju s lokalnom turističkom industrijom i predstavnicima medija.

Organizaţia Germană pentru Turism a deschis în Belgrad, în parteneriat cu organizaţia Danube Competence Center (DCC) o nouă Agenţie de Marketing, promovare şi distribuţie în luna marie a.c. Nebojša Matijašević coordonează de aici ca reprezentant al departamentului Germany-Incoming activitatea din Bosnia şi Herţegovina, Bulgaria, Croaţia, Muntenegru, România şi Serbia. Specialistul cu experienţă vastă în turism promovează imaginea pozitivă a Germaniei şi dezvoltă în numele DZT o reţea de parteneriate cu industria turistică locală şi reprezentanţii mass -media.

Туристическият борд на Германия DZT през март 2012 година съвместно с партньорите си от Дунавския център за компетенции (DCC) откриха в Белград агенция за маркетинг и дистрибуция на туристическата дестинация Германия. В сръбската столица Небойша Матияшевич работи като представител, отговарящ за входящия към Германия туризъм от пазарите на Босна и Херцеговина, България, Хърватска, Черна гора, Румъния и Сърбия. Опитният професионалист в сферата на туризма подсилва положителния имидж на Германия по решение на Туристическия борд на Германия DZT и разработва мрежа от контакти с местни туристически фирми и представители на средствата за масова информация.

Dolazni turizam u Njemačkoj nastavlja svoj stalni uzlazni trend i u prvih je šest mjeseci ove godine ponovo ostvario znatan porast. Po podacima njemačkog Saveznog ureda za statistiku, broj noćenja stranih gostiju od siječnja do lipnja zabilježio je porast od 9 posto u odnosu na isto razdoblje prošle godine. Ukupno je od početka 2012. do kraja lipnja ostvareno gotovo 30 milijuna noćenja inozemnih gostiju. „2012. Računamo s rastom inozemnih noćenja od dva do tri posto. Zbog aktualnog gospodarskog stanja u Europi treba pričekati da se vidi daljnji razvoj njemačkog incominga u drugoj polovini godine. Razvoj turističkog prometa poslovnih posjetitelja u sljedećim mjesecima konačno će odrediti godišnji rezultat njemačkog dolaznog turizma“, izjavila je Petra Hedorfer, predsjednica Uprave Njemačke turističke zajednice (DZT).

Sectorul de incoming este în continua creştere prin majorărisemnificative ale numărului de sosiri de-a lungul primelor şase luni ale anului. Institutul german de statistică raportează o creştere de 9% a numărului de înnoptări comparativ cu aceeaşi perioadă a anului anterior. Primele şase luni se-ncheie cu un total de 30 de milioane de înnoptări “ ne aşteptăm la o majorare de două, trei procente. Urmărim evoluţia sectorului de incoming în ce-a de-a doua jumatate a anului pe fondul situaţiei economice actuale în Europa. Dezvoltarea turismului de afaceri din perioada următoare va avea o influenţă majoră asupra rezultatului anual al sectorului de incoming in Germania” relatează Petra Hedorfer, Preşedinte al Consiliului Director al Organizaţiei Germane pentru turism (DZT).

Входящият туризъм в Германия продължава да расте без прекъсване, като през първите шест месеца на годината може да се радва на поредното голямо увеличение. Според данни на Федералната статистическа служба броя на нощувките, реализирани от чужденци между януари и юни са се увеличили с девет процента спрямо миналата година. Общо през 2012 година от 1 януари до края на юни бяха регистрирани почти 30 милиона нощувки на чужденци.

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.

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).

Od 13. do 15. maja 2012., Nemačka centrala za turizam (DTZ) zajedno sa organizacijama Lajpcig turizam i marketing (Leipzig Tourismus und Marketing GmbH) i Društvom za marketing u turizmu Saksonije (Tourismus Marketing Gesellschaft Sachsen mbH) organizuje 38. GTM Germany Travel Mart™. Pored njih, važni partneri su Deutsche Lufthansa AG kao i Deutsche Bahn AG. „GTM kao najveća radionica za „incoming” turističku ponudu Nemačke kao destinacije putovanja ima ogroman međunarodni značaj. Ovde se najvažniji klijenti iz celog sveta susreću sa nemačkim ponuđačima", naglašava Petra Hedorfer, predsednica Upravnog odbora DTZ. Ova platforma, naročito ponuđačima srednje veličine, predstavlja jedinu šansu da uspostave kontakte sa međunarodnom turističkom industrijom i da predstave aktuelne ponude i programe. Ove se godine ova manifestacije po prvi put održava pod motom „Green Event“ i pored toga DZT ga promoviše čitavim nizom aktivnosti na društvenim mrežama i u medijima. Na taj način, DZT po prvi put na ovogodišnjem GTM-u integriše reportaže na društvenim mrežama i sa multimedijalnim prilozima preko naloga na twitter-u @gtm2012 i na društvenoj mreži Storify. Osim toga, konferencija za štampu na GTM-u se, po prvi put, može pratiti uživo na internet stranici DZT na adresi www.germany.travel/gtmli.

„Hotspots, Brandnew, Lifestyle“: Kroz već osmišljenu kampanju za mlade u društvenim medijima, Nemačka centrala za turizam (DZT) želi da preko društvenih mreža širom sveta reklamira Nemačku kao destinaciju putovanja među mladima. Početak kampanje biće na sajmu ITB 2013. u Berlinu, a kampanja će se protezati tokom čitave godine, kao i tokom 2014. godine. Planiranu kampanju obeležiće tematska godina 2013. „Mladi na putu u Nemačku – Hotspots, Brandnew, Lifestyle“. Na taj način, DZT ne samo da se obraća segmentu turizma sa enormnim ekonomskim potencijalom, već je i ciljna grupa pozamašna: trenutno jedna trećina svih stranaca koji putuju u Nemačku ima ispod 39 godina. „Mladi putnici iz inostranstva su ljudi koji će u budućnosti u Nemačku dolaziti poslovno ili na odmor. S obzirom na to da će unutrašnji turizam biti sve više pod uticajem demografskih promena, mladi postaju izuzetno važna ciljna grupa", kaže Petra Hedorfer, predsednica Upravnog odbora DZT.

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."

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.

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.

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.

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.

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."