Germany as a Destination of Tomorrow
Petra Hedorfer, CEO of the German National Tourist Board (GNTB), shares insights into the thriving German tourism industry. We delve into the latest trends, including the impact of digital transformation, sustainability initiatives, and the sector's resilience in the face of global challenges. Discover how Germany is positioning itself as a leading destination for travelers seeking authentic experiences, technological innovation, and a commitment to responsible tourism.
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1. Could you start by giving us a brief overview of the current state of the German tourism industry? What are the most significant trends shaping the sector?
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Germany’s inbound tourism industry is faring very well in the international market. Among Europeans, Germany is firmly established as the top destination for city breaks and cultural travel and ranks second for nature-based travel. For business travel, we are the leading destination globally. This year, major sporting occasions such as UEFA EURO 2024 and other big events such as tours by international artists are providing an additional boost to inbound tourism to Germany.?
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As a result, we recorded more than 48.1,5?million overnight stays by visitors from abroad between January and July 2024, an increase of 6.5?per?cent year on year. In terms of Germany’s post-pandemic recovery of overnight stays by foreign guests, that figure is equivalent to 94.8?per?cent of the record level achieved in 2019.
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This upward trajectory was confirmed by our GNTB Travel Industry Expert Panel (TIEP) – a quarterly survey of more than 250 international tour operators that include Germany in their programmes. For the third quarter of 2024, the share of CEOs and key accounts that rated their current business situation with regard to Germany as positive rose to 57?per?cent – up 10?percentage points compared with a year earlier.
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Looking at the source regions for German inbound tourism, European markets account for 76?per?cent of overnight stays. The most important overseas market is the US.?
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To continue strengthening global tourism to Germany, key areas of action for us as the national tourist board for Germany are digital transformation and the challenges posed by climate change.?
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(Sources: German Federal Statistical Office, IPK/WTM 2024, GNTB Travel Industry Expert Panel 2024 Q3 and 2023 Q3)
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2. Sustainability has become a key concern for many travellers. How is the German tourism industry promoting sustainable practices, and what are some examples of initiatives aimed at reducing the industry’s environmental footprint to ensure the successful management of responsible tourism??
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Customers around the world are becoming more and more interested in sustainable travel. Germany was quick to recognise this and adapt to the challenges. According to our TIEP, more than half of CEOs and key accounts are experiencing rising demand for sustainable products, while 78?per?cent consider Germany to be a destination for sustainable travel and 57 per?cent actively market it as such.
(Source: TIEP Q3/2024)
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A core element of our sustainable brand communications is the Feel Good campaign, which we have been using to promote certified sustainable offerings for the last five years. Another integral element of our sustainability strategy for customer communications is the ‘Stay longer’ initiative, which promotes the idea of visitors from abroad extending their holiday in order to reduce their carbon footprint per day of travel.?
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By running major marketing collaborations and campaigns together with the international travel trade and various European rail companies, we have – compared with 2023 – achieved a significant year-on-year increase of 22?per?cent in the number of European guests travelling to Germany by rail.
(Source: WTM/IPK 2024)
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3.? How has the digital transformation impacted the German tourism sector, particularly in terms of marketing, booking and visitor experience? What are successful digital initiatives in Germany?
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Digitalisation is already having a big impact on large parts of the tourism value chain around the world. It is shaping the entire customer experience – from how people find inspiration for a travel destination and how they reserve and book the components of their trip, through to innovative service offerings during their stay and word-of-mouth marketing.
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For us, global marketing campaigns are virtually all digital these days. Indeed, our 30-plus social media channels generated 1.7 billion impressions and 215?million interactions last year.
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In our influencer marketing, we registered over 148?million impressions on influencers’ platforms in 2023. And we are currently adding a new dimension to our marketing by launching an AI influencer.
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Generally speaking, AI applications play a big role in what we do. For example, we have developed a Knowledge Graph for the German tourism industry, which already contains over half a million semantically structured data sets. These can be accessed by global online platforms or used by startups for their innovative business models.
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4. What is the German National Tourist Board doing to support small and medium-sized tourism businesses in adapting to the digital landscape?
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Helping Germany’s predominantly small and medium-sized tourism businesses to conduct international marketing is one of the key tasks of the GNTB. We act as a hub for networking, bringing our partners in Germany’s travel industry together with digital global players. We offer attractive opportunities for SME partners to get involved in our global digital campaigns and thereby access markets around the world. When it comes to next-generation technology, such as virtual reality or AI applications, we are a digital first mover and provider of expertise. The knowledge and experience gained in our pilot projects is shared with our partners through a range of formats, including workshops, webinars and hackathons.
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5. How have pandemics and negative natural events affected the German tourism industry, and what are the long-term economic implications? What measures have been taken to support the sector’s recovery?
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Initially, Destination Germany was affected more than most by the pandemic. One reason for this was that business trips, for example to international trade fairs and conferences, were curtailed during the coronavirus crisis and such trips account for a high proportion of travel to Germany. In addition, it took longer for important Asian source markets for Germany to recover from the pandemic’s impact.
On the other hand, the pandemic hastened the implementation of digital technologies – driving the development of new hybrid event formats, for example. And it heightened travellers’ awareness of the issue of sustainability. We were able to harness these opportunities for Germany as a travel destination.?
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6. What are the key economic priorities for the German tourism industry in the coming years? How can the sector contribute to the overall economic growth and prosperity of Germany?
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The tourism industry as a whole makes a significant contribution to value creation in Germany, with around three million people employed in the sector. European guests spent a total of €46?billion on their travels in Germany in 2023. As the competition between destinations gets tougher, we must maintain and grow this economic value added.
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We see further investment in digital infrastructure as the key to achieving this. Our Open Data/Knowledge Graph project has laid the foundations for increasing the use of AI applications in the tourism value chain.
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But, of course, we do not see tourism as just an economic factor. Tourism helps to bring cultures together, it promotes mutual respect and thereby international understanding – which is particularly invaluable during times of major geopolitical shifts.
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3 个月Hanna Kleber
Empowering Hotels and Destinations | Boosting Visibility, Reach, Direct Bookings, Reputation and Economic Sustainability | Digital Transformation Expert | Keynote Speaker | Thought Leader.
4 个月Part 4 - SMEs and the role of DMOs The support of small and medium-sized enterprises in the host world (SMEs) is a decisive lever. Their importance to the hospitality world cannot be overstated, and the approaches to integrating them into global digital campaigns are a step in the right direction. Nevertheless, in my opinion, this does not go far enough. A modern DMO (Destination Management Organization) should evolve into a technical and digital enabler that provides its own platform and infrastructure that benefits all hosts. The DMO of the future is a partner that not only shares knowledge, but also provides concrete digital tools. This allows SMBs to benefit directly from digital transformation without depending on expensive OTA platforms. This is the only way to make the digital transformation of the hospitality world a real success and to contribute to economic sustainability as the foundation of sustainable development oriented towards the common good.
Empowering Hotels and Destinations | Boosting Visibility, Reach, Direct Bookings, Reputation and Economic Sustainability | Digital Transformation Expert | Keynote Speaker | Thought Leader.
4 个月Part 3 - Digitization Advances in digitalization, such as the open data model, are a promising start. However, there is still considerable potential. The data quality currently still leaves a lot to be desired, which limits usability. There is an urgent need for action here in order to make this project a real lever for the industry. The digital transformation of the hospitality world is crucial – not only to remain internationally competitive, but also to ensure economic sustainability. The status quo shows that Germany is lagging behind in this area, especially compared to other countries. SMEs in particular need targeted support to catch up with technology. It is not enough to intensify digital marketing measures as long as the majority of bookings continue to be made via platforms. It is important to strengthen digital skills in companies and destinations, to build up their own digital infrastructures and to promote direct booking channels. Only when at least 50% to 70% of the guest world has been successfully digitally transformed will travelers, hosts, and destinations alike benefit.
Empowering Hotels and Destinations | Boosting Visibility, Reach, Direct Bookings, Reputation and Economic Sustainability | Digital Transformation Expert | Keynote Speaker | Thought Leader.
4 个月Part 2 - Sustainability The importance of sustainability, which is emphasized in the interview, is absolutely central. However, sustainability must be thought of more holistically here, because it goes far beyond climate and CO? issues. As already mentioned in some of my articles, economic sustainability forms the foundation for any sustainable development. It creates the means and resources to achieve goals oriented towards the common good. However, there is a serious risk here. The defective value chain caused by OTA platforms is increasingly depriving hosts and destinations of their economic basis. Booking through platforms costs hosts between 60% and 80% of their contribution margin, which is not only economically unsustainable, but also affects price sovereignty, customer sovereignty and visibility. In order to create the necessary change towards sustainable tourism development, the economic basis must first be strengthened again.
Empowering Hotels and Destinations | Boosting Visibility, Reach, Direct Bookings, Reputation and Economic Sustainability | Digital Transformation Expert | Keynote Speaker | Thought Leader.
4 个月Part 1 - The #Tourismus must not be thought of as a detached silo. It is essential to think #ganzheitlich, because ultimately we are moving in the #Gastwelt. This plays a central role. With around 6 million employees, 250,000 businesses and an economic contribution of almost €500 billion, it is the #HerzUnsererGesellschaft. The host world not only promotes #Wirtschaft, but also social #Zusammenhalt and cultural exchange. In order to be able to develop its full effect, it must be viewed holistically. This means understanding #Tourismus, #Travel, #Hospitality, #Foodservice and #Freizeitwirtschaft as a unit and focusing more on them accordingly. Depending on the angle of view, the hospitality world is thus the largest industry in the country.