Impressive return of Indians with 623,363 overnight stays
Germany saw a 209 per cent increase in overnight stays by Indians in 2022 compared to the previous year, according to new data from the German National Tourist Board.
The German National Tourist Office (GNTO) and German Embassy in India successfully showcased Germany as a preferred travel destination for Indian travellers.
The primary objective of this conference was to highlight Germany as a must-visit destination that offers 51 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, coupled with a focus on nature and sustainability. GNTO aims to attract Indian travellers interested in exploring the country’s natural beauty, picturesque villages, and innovative eco-tourism practices.
In 2022, Indians spend a total of 623,363 nights in Germany (2021: 201,194). The record level of 2019 with 961,656 has not yet been reached. “However we have already reached 65 per cent of the level of 2019, leaving room for continuous growth as Indians return to travelling. There is huge demand among Indians for international travel,” said Romit Theophilus, director of India for the German National Tourist Office “Germany is an attractive destination with exceptional offers. Our goal in the medium term is to reach the number of overnight stays we had before the COVID-19 pandemic.
We have achieved a remarkable increase this year compared to 2021, which shows that our diverse campaigns and offers are attractive and appeal to Indians. We know that Germany appeals strongly to Indians that are interested in culture and history, city breaks and culinary experiences.”.
Theophilus added, “Sustainability is a key focus of Germany’s tourism industry, and we’re confident that the country’s natural beauty, innovative eco-tourism practices, and rich cultural heritage will resonate with Indian travellers seeking responsible travel options. We believe the conference inspires media to promote Germany as an ideal travel destination.”
The shift toward sustainable travel is accelerating and well received by Indians. The shift in values of international travellers clearly shows how much travel behavior has changed since the outbreak of the Corona pandemic and has now consolidated toward more sustainability.
Indians are increasingly looking for sustainable travel, according to the Sustainable Travel Report 2022 from Booking.com. The study says that 97 percent expressed a desire to travel more sustainably in the next 12 months.
GNTO Campaign 2023
To further increase visitor numbers, the GNTO is offering a comprehensive tourism package with three different campaign themes for 2023.
The campaign “51 UNESCO World Heritage Sites – Historic.Modern.Germany” is aimed at the contrast between historic world heritage and the diversity of products in urban and rural areas. Germany offers guests from all over the world not only unique and authentic experiences in combination with a city and nature stay, but also sustainable travel experiences. Many offers in the context of our World Heritage Sites are accessible in a climate-friendly way by public transport. The campaign is designed to ensure that guests find the offerings so attractive that they plan a longer stay – which also supports a lower CO2 footprint.
In addition to the UNESCO campaign, the GNTO is promoting two campaigns with a strong “green focus” that has already had a successful impact in 2022. In 2023, these will be played out with new travel ideas and inspirations.
The FEEL.GOOD sustainability campaign promotes climate- and environmentally-friendly offers in a very focused way. Potential international travellers can discover Germany’s National Landscapes and sustainable holiday experiences in rural regions. One-third of Germany consists of protected natural landscapes. 16 national parks, 16 biosphere reserves and more than 100 nature parks vividly demonstrate how to protect the beauty of nature and preserve biodiversity for the future.
Embrace German Nature is a campaign that shows how diverse and unique natural landscapes in Germany are and how resource-friendly they can be travelled to. From the mainland right up to the islands, there are amazing cultural and natural landscapes throughout Germany.
In addition, the GNTO offers barrier-free travel. Visitors with disabilities can enjoy a carefree vacation in Germany, because many regions of the country already take their needs into account. Thanks to the persistent commitment of politicians and accommodation providers, accessibility has been improved in recent years and the necessary information is readily available to help people with disabilities plan their trips.
The GNTB’s primary strategic areas of action are:
- Conducting targeted market research and analysis of market-specific customer demand in relation to various aspects of travel in the context of sustainability and culture among those with values-based lifestyles.
- Supporting the travel industry, which is dominated by small and medium-sized businesses, through relationship management and the sharing of knowledge.
- Raising awareness of the Destination Germany brand and enhancing the brand profile with a focus on sustainability and climate change mitigation.
Focus on sustainability and digitalisation
The GNTB promotes forward-looking tourism in line with the objectives of the German government. The focus here is on sustainability and digitalisation.
To make inbound tourism more sustainable and competitive, our organisation follows a three-pillar strategy that combines the sharing of knowledge with external partners and a supporting communications strategy with our internal sustainability initiative. The GNTB positions Germany as a sustainable and inclusive destination in the international travel market.
The GNTB is a pioneer when it comes to using immersive technologies (virtual, augmented and mixed reality), voice assistants and other conversational interfaces, and artificial intelligence applications such as chatbots. To ensure that tourism offerings are visible on AI-based marketing platforms, the GNTB coordinates the German tourism industry’s open-data/knowledge graph project.
The GNTB has 25 foreign agencies that it manages from its head office in Frankfurt.
