Efforts specific to the trade will include road shows, visa information seminars, sales calls as well as fam trips that are held in tandem with the German Travel Market each May.
The German National Tourist Office (GNTO) aims to increase overnight stays by Southeast Asian tourists to Germany by 5% annually over the next 15 years, according to Chun Hoy Yuen, director marketing & Sales ASEAN.
This would translate to 3.2 million visitors from the region by 2033, up from the current 1.5 million, and focusing mainly on four key markets: Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.
“Germany is a relatively new, unexplored destination with high growth potential among Southeast Asian travellers. It has so much to offer but has been overshadowed by her popular neighbours,” remarked Chun.
“But now we see that Germany is fast catching up and is currently the third European destination among Singaporean travellers.”
To do so, GNTO has embarked on a series of initiatives, starting with the opening of a regional office in Singapore last year.
In terms of themes, GNTO will focus on pushing ‘smart luxury’, defined as the experiencing of maximum comfort and exclusive travel in the traditions of personalised service and high-quality offerings, shopping, family holidays, cities and culture, said Chun during a press briefing on March 1.
Efforts specific to the trade will include road shows, visa information seminars, sales calls as well as fam trips that are held in tandem with the German Travel Market each May.
On a global scale, GNTO has launched the ‘Culinary Germany’ campaign to promote Destination Germany around the world in 2018. The campaign is aimed primarily at “young, well-educated, city-dwelling or family-oriented people and active users of social media”, according to a media statement released by GNTO.
This would include promoting the country’s over 300 Michelin starred restaurants, gourmet festivals including the Eat & Style Food Festival, held in Dusseldort, Munich, Hamburg and Stuttgart, and seasonal and local produce such as white asparagus, bread and wine.