The 55th annual conference of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) was a resounding success for Destination Germany. The conference took place from 8 to 13 October in Dresden and Leipzig. It was the first time that this distinguished society had held its conference in Germany. The SATW were invited to Saxony by the GNTB and Tourismus Marketing Gesellschaft Sachsen (TMGS).

Now up and running, the

At its 78th General Meeting in Brussels, the European Travel Commission (ETC) has today unanimously elected Petra Hedorfer, Chief Executive Officer of the German National Tourist Board (GNTB), as its new president. Ms. Hedorfer, formerly vice president of the ETC, will succeed Arthur Oberascher of Österreich Werbung, the Austrian national tourist board. In her acceptance speech, Ms. Hedorfer thanked her predecessor for
his contribution during his two terms of office, particularly in expanding the ETC into eastern and southern Europe.

This is the fourth time that the European Institute for the Meetings Industry has conducted the Meeting & EventBarometer for the German meeting and event market.

The GCB German Convention Bureau markets Germany as a destination for conventions, meetings, events and incentives both on a national and international level, and is the place to contact for anybody planning an event in Germany.

Diversity reflects the sector - The event industry feeds of its infinite versatility - represented by the European Association of Event Centres (EVVC).

Press conference, 25 May 2010

f.l.t.r.: Matthias Schultze, Director of the GCB German Convention Bureau e.V., Joachim König, President, European Association of Event Centres (EVVC), Ray Bloom, IMEX Chairman, and Prof. Dr. Michael-Thaddäus Schreiber, Director of the European Institute for Meetings Industry (EITW)), presented new study results of the current German meetings and conventions market at the press conference Meeting & EventBarometer 2010" at IMEX in Frankfurt."

The European Institute for the Meetings Industry (EITW) specializes in an up-to-date focus on innovative project themes in meeting, incentive, convention and event management (MICE).

With a share of 15 per cent of all outbound European trips, business travel plays a major role for tourism in Europe. Business travel breaks down into two different categories: traditional business trips" with a European share of 56 per cent, and "promotable business trips" to trade fairs and exhibitions as well as meetings, conventions and events, accounting for a share of 44 per cent."

Event centres in Germany posted good results in 2009 despite the economic crisis. Although the number of events was in decline (down 1.5 per cent) total attendance was up 1.6 per cent over the 2008 figure, as reported by the Meeting & EventBarometer 2010, a survey of the German meetings and events market that was presented at IMEX trade fair today.

. According to the results of the Meeting & EventBarometer 2010, a survey of the German meeting and event market, the economic and financial crisis hit meeting hotels particularly hard in 2009: The number of hotel events was 14.9 per cent down on the 2008 figure, while the attendee total was 13.2 per cent lower than in the previous year.

Despite having suffered a clear decline in demand due to the economic crisis, Germany remains the number one meeting destination on an international level by far: This is the key outcome of the Meeting & EventBarometer 2010 - a survey of the meetings and events market in Germany presented at IMEX trade fair today.

Two words are key for the marketing trends suppliers and organisers were asked to comment on in the Meeting & EventBarometer 2010, a survey of the meeting and event market in Germany: change" and "optimism"."

. Despite a strong decline in demand both suppliers and organisers from Germany and abroad still consider Germany the number one meeting destination by far: Around 80 per cent of both groups are convinced that Germany's image as a meeting and event destination is constantly improving - this was the strikingly unanimous result of the Meeting & Event Barometer.

Tourism in Germany has to make long-term adjustments to changing travel patterns around the world and intensified competition among destinations. Petra Hedorfer, Chief Executive Officer of the German National Tourist Board (GNTB), explained this to more than 100 international journalists at the 36th Germany Travel Mart™ (GTM) in Mainz.

The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) promotes the diversity of Germany as a travel destination throughout the world with annual themes plus complementary key themes.

Some 550 buyers representing travel companies from 41 countries, and around 90 international journalists are currently gathered in Mainz to find out more about tourism in Germany.

Welcome address by the Parliamentary State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology and Federal Government Commissioner for SMEs and Tourism, Ernst Burgbacher, MdB, on the occasion of the International Press Forum of the Germany Travel Mart™ (GTM)

Mainz, 19th April 2010

Frankfurt am Main / Mainz, 19 April 2010

36th Germany Travel Mart™ 2010, 18 to 20 April 2010, Mainz -Frankfurt -Wiesbaden

The success story of the GTM Germany Travel Mart™ (GTM), the flagship sales event for Germany's incoming tourism industry, began in the Rhine-Main region in 1972.

The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) is expecting overall growth in overnight stays of between 1 and 3 per cent in 2010-11.

DB Vertrieb GmbH, Zielgruppen-und Produktmanagement

The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) promotes the diversity of Germany as a travel destination throughout the world with annual themes plus complementary key themes.

The German National Tourist Board's international marketing will focus on 'health & fitness holidays in Germany' in 2011.

Germany will stage the finals for the sixth Women's World Cup from 26 June to 17 July 2011.

The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) is expecting overall growth in overnight stays of between 1 and 3 per cent in 2010-11. We turned the corner in October and, since then, have seen an improvement", says Petra Hedorfer, Chief Executive Officer of the GNTB. "However, after a far-reaching structural crisis like this one, the road to recovery might be a bumpy one. We expect the uptrend to stabilise in 2011."

The 300th anniversary of the Meissen State Porcelain Manufactory has prompted the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) to make the history of porcelain manufacture in Germany one of the key themes of its global marketing campaign in 2010. A study by Markenverband, the German brands association, revealed that Meissen, which has been a GNTB member since 2009, is the second most famous German luxury brand after Porsche. Many other high-quality porcelain producers are internationally renowned names, too. The GNTB's global activities on this theme combine both cultural tourism and shopping in Germany.

With the theme years 'European Capital of Culture RUHR.2010' and 'Creative Germany', the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) is promoting Germany worldwide as an inspiring travel destination in 2010. 
Germany was traditionally known as the country of poets and philosophers," explains Petra Hedorfer, Chief Executive Officer of the GNTB. "But Germany is still setting trends today, producing innovative ideas and modern art. It is precisely this wealth of creativity that we are promoting with our theme for the year. We will be using our full marketing portfolio, and focusing in particular on a culturally-minded target group."

The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) promotes the diversity of Germany as a travel destination throughout the world with annual themes plus complementary key themes. The GNTB uses a wide range of marketing and sales tools to reach out to consumers, travel industry professionals and media representatives.

According to a supplementary question in the 'Quality Monitor' German tourism industry survey conducted by the EUROPÄISCHE travel insurance company and the German National Tourist Board (GNTB), German and international visitors rate Germany's accessibility as 'good'. The survey was based on interviews with 17,000 visitors.

Destination Germany proved itself to be extremely competitive in terms of incoming tourism in 2009: arrivals in Germany declined by only 2.7 per cent according to UNWTO (United Nations World Tourism Organization) statistics, whereas international arrivals decreased by approximately 4.3 per cent worldwide and as much as 5.6 per cent in Europe.

The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) and the Organising Committee (OC) of the FIFA Women's World Cup 2011™ have signed a cooperation agreement to market the FIFA Women's World Cup 2011™ globally. The two partners are seizing the opportunity presented by this major sporting event to further promote Germany's image as a cosmopolitan and family-friendly destination with an excellent infrastructure.

The German National Tourist Board's international marketing will focus on 'health & fitness holidays in Germany' in 2011. Having promoted the multitude of activity-based holidays that Germany offers in 2009, the GNTB is now turning the spotlight on another aspect of health & fitness holidays.

The German Federal Statistical Office recorded a total of 313.91 million overnight stays by German visitors in hotels and guesthouses with more than nine beds and at campsites in 2009, an increase of 0.3 per cent.