Biergartensäsongen har öppnat och det för 200:e gången. En bayersk tradition som slagit i hela Tyskland firar jubileum.
– 60 procent av alla utländska gäster väljer destinationen Tyskland på grund av atmosfären och känslan. 93 procent kommer på grund av den typiska maten och drycken, säger Petra Hedorfer, vd för Deutsche Zentrale für Tourismus (DZT).

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).

Från den 13 till 15 maj 2012 anordnar Deutsche Zentrale für Tourismus (DZT) det 38:e GTM Germany Travel Mart™ tillsammans med Leipzig Tourismus und Marketing GmbH och Tourismus Marketing Gesellschaft Sachsen mbH. Viktiga partners är även Deutsche Lufthansa AG och Deutsche Bahn AG.
– GTM är ett viktigt evenemang speciellt för små och medelstora företag i turistnäringen. Här hittar arrangörer och leverantörer en perfekt plattform för direktkontakt med den internationella reseindustrin, betonar Petra Hedorfer, vd för DZT.

Från 13 till 15 maj 2012 arrangerar Tyska turistbyrån (DZT) den 38:e GTM Germany Travel Mart™ tillsammans med Leipzig Tourismus, Marketing GmbH och Tourismus Marketing Gesellschaft Sachsen mbH. Andra viktiga partner är Deutsche Lufthansa AG och Deutsche Bahn AG. ”GTM är den största turistbranschmässan för resmålet Tyskland och har därför stor internationell betydelse. Här träffar viktigt branschfolk från hela världen de tyska leverantörerna”, säger Petra Hedorfer, styrelseordförande för DZT. I synnerhet för medelstora leverantörer inom turismen är detta en unik plattform för att knyta kontakter med den internationella reseindustrin och kunna informera om sina speciella erbjudanden och program. I år går evenemanget för första gången under mottot ”Green Event” och DZT kompletterar med en rad olika aktiviteter i sociala media. Till årets GTM rapporterar DZT nämligen för första gången via Twitter på @gtm2012 och på Storify. Dessutom kan man nu följa GTM-presskonferensen live på DZT:s webbplats på www.germany.travel/gtmlive.

"Hotspots, brandnew, lifestyle": med en bred ungdomskampanj i sociala media vill Tyska turistbyrån (DZT) marknadsföra Tyskland som resmål speciellt för ungdomar i sociala nätverk över hela världen. Kampanjen startar i samband med ITB 2013 i Berlin och kommer att pågå under hela året samt under 2014. Den planerade kampanjen kommer bidra till temat för 2013, "Unga besökare i Tyskland – hotspots, brandnew, lifestyle". Genom kampanjen inriktar sig DZT inte bara på ett turistsegment med en enorm ekonomisk potential, även målgruppen är stor: idag är ca en tredjedel av alla utländska besökare yngre än 39 år. "Unga utländska besökare är framtidens affärsresenärer och turister i Tyskland. Framför allt eftersom inrikesturismen kommer präglas allt mer av demografiska förändringar, är dessa besökare en målgrupp med ökande betydelse", säger Petra Hedorfer, styrelseordförande i 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."

Tysklands topp 100: Slottet i Heidelberg kommer i topp bland utländska gäster i reselandet Tyskland. På plats två på hitlistan hamnar slottet Neuschwanstein, UNESCO-världsarvet Kölnerdomen intar tredje plats. Sedan nyligen står reselandet Tysklands topp 100 sevärdheter klara. I en egen undersökning har Deutsche Zentrale für Tourismus (DZT) vänt sig direkt till de utländska gästerna för att få reda på dessa. Bland topp 10 finns turistiska attraktioner från åtta förbundsländer. Sammanlagt har deltagarna korat ett brett spektra av sevärdheter från kultur och natur i hela Tyskland. Särskilt omtyckta är UNESCO-världsarven: Bland toppsevärdheterna finns 22 av 36 världsarv listade.

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.

Tysklands incoming har fortsatt medvind. Efter en notering på knappt 64 miljoner utländska övernattningar 2011, börjar reselandet Tyskland även detta år med en fortsatt stark tillväxt.
– Tyskland bekräftar sin position som ett av de populäraste reseländerna i Europa även i början av året med imponerande siffror, meddelade Ernst Burgbacher, MdB, parlamentarisk statssekreterare hos förbundsministern för ekonomi och teknik och den tyska regeringens kommissionär för småföretag och turism.

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.

Creative Germany står synonymt för det unga och kreativa reselandet Tyskland.

Tyskland är traditionsenligt känt som diktarnas och tänkarnas land, kommenterar Petra Hedorfer, vd för Deutsche Zentrale für Tourismus (DZT). Än i dag sätts nya trender dagligen, innovativa idéer utvecklas och ny konst skapas. Av det klassiska "made in Germany" har "created in Germany" bildats. För det står bland annat kända nutida konstnärers namn som Neo Rauch, Bernhard Heisig, Werner Tübke och Wolfgang Mattheurer, som tillhör Leipziger Schule och som det numera talas om i hela världen. Men Tyskland har även etablerat sig som en hotspot för internationella arkitekter, designers och modedesigners.

Två nya medlemmar förstärker Deutsche Zentrale für Tourismus (DZT:s) partnerkoncept. DZT:s styrelse har enhälligt beslutat att inkludera visitBerlin, Berlin Tourismus & Kongress GmbH, och IHB Travel GmbH. “Jag är väldigt glad för att med visitBerlin och IHB Travel ha ytterligare två starka partners i Tysklandsturismen vid vår sida“, säger Petra Hedorfer, vd för DZT. "Vårt beprövade koncept av offentligt-privata partnerskap sammanför på ett optimalt sätt kompetens och resurser och ger kontinuerlig innovation i marknadsföringen av Tyskland."

Den 25 mars 2012 avslutades TUR i Göteborg, en av de viktigaste resemässorna i Skandinavien. Tyska Turistbyrån AB/DZT presenterade sig med sammanlagt 19 tyska och svenska partners på en monteryta om 168 kvadratmeter, och var därmed återigen en av de största internationella utställarna.

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).