GERMANY FACES. Annual Report 2005 GERMAN NATIONAL TOURIST BOARD (GNTB)

Transcription

1 GERMANY FACES Annual Report 2005 GERMAN NATIONAL TOURIST BOARD (GNTB)

2 Contents

3 CONTENTS PAGE PREFACE 4 1. THE GERMAN NATIONAL TOURIST BOARD (GNTB) 6 2. THE IMPORTANCE OF TOURISM Trends in international tourism Trends in incoming tourist traffic to Germany Travel by Germans within Germany Factors in the success of tourism in Germany INTERNATIONAL SALES AND MARKETING Marketing themes New media management activities Awards Press and PR activities Cooperation agreements and marketing associations The internet and extranet Sales and marketing Sales and marketing in the GNTB s international source markets THE NATIONWIDE SERVICE AND FRIENDLINESS CAMPAIGN NATIONWIDE DOMESTIC MARKETING Germany portal at Germany in the traditional nationwide media GNTB cooperation projects Sales and promotional activities for the travel industry ADMINISTRATION Personnel Information technology Logistics Financial information 82 APPENDICES 84 GNTB regional management addresses 84 Members of the German National Tourist Board 87 Members of the GNTB Board of Directors 87 Members of the GNTB Advisory Board 87 Members of the GNTB International Marketing Committee 88 Members of the GNTB Domestic Marketing Committee 89 Organisation chart 90 Production credits 91 3

4 PREFACE In 2005, travel to Germany grew more strongly than the global travel market. A total of 48.2 million overnight stays by visitors from abroad were registered in Germany, an increase of 6.4 per cent on the previous year. In terms of the number of trips, Germany s seven per cent growth significantly outstripped that of our European neighbours and is ahead of the global trend of 5.5 per cent. Domestic tourism remained at a high level, again showing a slight increase of almost one per cent in The 2006 FIFA World Cup was one of the year s focal points for the GNTB s worldwide activities. We have been gearing up for this major event for a full five years. The 2006 FIFA World Cup is the greatest advertising coup for Germany this century with an audience of around 40 billion predicted to watch the matches on television. We forecast an extra five million or so additional overnight stays by visitors from Germany and abroad, including participants, officials, celebrities and fans from all over the world. As Germany s national tourist board we see this event as an opportunity to achieve sustained growth, so we are boosting our marketing and sales efforts to focus the eyes of the world on Germany as an attractive holiday destination. We have an unparalleled opportunity to position Germany as a cosmopolitan and welcoming country, and to fill the World Cup slogan, A time to make friends with meaning for all the participants and spectators, and of course for those watching the coverage on television. The ITB Trade Fair in Berlin in March 2005 was already dominated by Germany s role as World Cup host nation. As the official ITB partner country, Germany featured heavily in international coverage of the event. Together with the 2006 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee Germany, the marketing organisations of the federal states and tourism companies we staged the opening ceremony with an audience of over 3,000 invited guests from across the world, including well-known politicians, sports people and top-class, internationally renowned German artists demonstrating to guests from around the world our organisational abilities as hosts. Berlin s hotels deserve special thanks for providing a sumptuous reception and Europa-Park Rust for staging a captivating show. Football was the common thread linking our activities across the world in this year of final preparations for the World Cup. An important building block was the launch in December of our national service and friendliness campaign, an integral element in the German government s hospitality concept. The campaign was initiated by the OC 2006 FIFA World Cup and the German National Tourist Board and funding of 3 million was provided by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology and the Federal Ministry of the Interior. It is coordinated by the GNTB. The official kickoff of the national service and friendliness campaign at the Federal Association of the German Tourism Industry (BTW) summit in Berlin in December 2005 was attended by Michael Glos, Federal Minister for Economics and Technology, Franz Beckenbauer, President of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee Germany, and the guest of honour, Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden. The Germany in Japan 2005/2006 campaign was another highlight of Japan has long been one of our most consistent major overseas source markets and we set out to give fresh impetus to Ger- 4

5 many s popularity as a travel destination for the Japanese by staging a number of events and deploying a range of marketing activities. In the year under review we observed a consolidation of the direction taken by the world s tourism markets since At the end of the year, the WTO declared 2005 to be another record year with 808 million international arrivals. Neither natural disasters such as the tsunami in south Asia s most popular tourist destinations, nor the constantly rising oil price could halt the rise in travel. Globalisation and strong growth in the global economy, the continued spread of low-cost flights, the deregulation of air travel in the growth markets of Asia and the growing availability of inclusive packages via the internet are boosting international travel. Recognising international trends at a very early stage and using them creatively in Germany s incoming tourism industry is vital for the success of the GNTB s work. At this point special thanks must go to the employees in our 30 offices and agencies around the world. For several years we have been actively cultivating highpotential markets such as the EU accession states and China where we have achieved high growth rates. Our new sales and marketing agency in Dubai allows us to tap into the great potential of the Arab world. We are already paving the way for opportunities for travel from India to Germany, having opened a new GNTB office in New Delhi a few weeks ago, and this year s Germany Travel Mart included a trade symposium on the subject of India opportunities for the travel industry in a growth market for the first time. The factors driving the current success of the international travel industry also present challenges for the future marketing of Destination Germany. The two megatrends of Culture and Health are set to dominate the development of travel in the next few years, so we are developing a concerted culture and wellness offensive for Germany. We will concentrate on the potential for inclusive packages in these segments from autumn 2006 onwards, and intend to exploit the long-term opportunities arising from the international attention directed towards Germany as the 2006 FIFA World Cup host nation. Individualisation, dynamic packaging and the ability for holidaymakers to obtain information and make their own bookings over the internet are other factors setting trends in international travel and they will also have a long-term impact on the German travel industry. We have already undertaken a wide range of online activities in recent years to meet this challenge. Almost a third of all trips to Germany are now planned or booked online. In 2005 we developed a new generation of websites, but offline sales and distribution continue to play an important role in our global marketing activities as part of a multichannelling strategy. Germany was once again the largest source market for international travel in 2005, with almost 77 million trips abroad by Germans. Seen as the world champions of travel, the Germans are intensively courted by the tourism industries of other countries as potential customers, resulting in a constant need to underscore Germany s attractiveness as a destination for domestic tourism. To this end, the economics ministers of the 16 German states set a clear signal for the GNTB in December 2005 by extending the term of our 1997 mandate for nationwide domestic marketing until We are grateful for their confidence in us. At the same time, Germany has continued to occupy the top position in terms of international business travel. Conference and congress planners as well as incentive and events travel organisers all value Germany s excellent infrastructure, high level of service and wide range of cultural attractions. The attractiveness of the country as an international travel destination and the Germans continued liking for holidays in their own country are important economic factors. Tourism revenue rose again in 2005 by 1 billion to a new level of 23.2 billion. A prosperous tourism sector enables the hotel and catering industries, inbound tour operators, tourist boards, transport companies and conference centres to create jobs which cannot be outsourced abroad. Every euro that holi daymakers, business travellers, conference delegates or other visitors spend in Germany makes these jobs even more secure. The new German government formed last autumn has paid tribute to this fact by appointing the first ever Federal Government Commissioner for Tourism to highlight the importance of our industry both in Germany and abroad and affirming the value of the GNTB s national and international marketing and sales activities. We would like to thank the members of the ministries and committees who made this decision. This report looks back on a successful year in 2005 and looks forward to 2006 when everything points towards Germany s incoming tourism industry continuing to grow over the next few years and playing its part in our country s economic prosperity. Many people have contributed to our success, particularly the GNTB s employees throughout the world, but also partners from business, politics and the various associations. Our heartfelt thanks to them all. Petra Hedorfer Chief Executive Officer Armin Brysch Commercial Director 5

6 1. The German National Tourist Board (GNTB)

7 The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) carries out sales and marketing activities to promote Germany as a travel destination. Based in Frankfurt am Main, it has two clearly defined goals: to further enhance the positive image of Destination Germany at home and abroad and to promote tourism to and within Germany. All its work is guided by its central strategic principle of representing Germany throughout the world as a destination for holidays, business travel and visits to friends and family. Marketing is split into six regional management areas (North West Europe, South West Europe, North East Europe, South East Europe, Americas/Israel and Asia/Australasia/South Africa), each with its own foreign representative offices and sales and marketing agencies. Countries without their own representation are covered by the appropriate regional management team. The GNTB formulates medium-term strategy plans to ensure that it meets the objectives set forth in its charter. Medium-term marketing strategy Market research in the traditional volume markets and new growth markets Developing the trends for culture and health and incorporating these into global product lines Customer-focused product consultancy and design with a market-specific modular system New key themes each year to position Germany and enhance its image Targeting people who are able to exert a multiplier effect, development of new contacts within the travel trade and use of the internet as central tool for communicating with consumers Cooperation initiatives with media, business and tourism organisations Networked marketing with European partner organisations to develop the position of Europe in global tourism The GNTB is a public service organisation and does not operate for profit. However, it is obliged to invest the resources provided efficiently and in a way that is commercially effective. It achieves this by cooperating intensively with the providers of tourism services within Germany. By developing marketing strategies and concepts based on specific themes, events and attractions, the GNTB has established itself as a skilled and innovative catalyst for the German tourism industry. The organisation works on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi). GLOBAL PRESENCE The GNTB s success in marketing Germany is rooted in its worldwide presence. It establishes and maintains contacts with the travel trade, the media and consumers in the traditional European markets, the main overseas markets and the high-potential growth markets of eastern Europe and Asia. The organisation has a total of 30 sales offices, including 11 of its own foreign repre sentative offices and 19 sales agencies in collaboration with partners, through which its employees plan, coordinate and implement all of its sales and marketing activities around the world. The GNTB is securing the long-term future of Germany as a travel destination by continuing to develop valuable new markets around the world. The organisation has been operating in the increasingly economically important states of eastern Europe since 1995 via its sales and marketing agencies, which are run in collaboration with partners such as the Germany Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK). In September 2004 the GNTB established a presence in the Arab Gulf States, another important growth 7

8 1. THE GERMAN NATIONAL TOURIST BOARD (GNTB) market, with an office in Dubai run in partnership with Luft hansa, and in 2006 it began focusing its attention on the Indian market with the opening of a representative office in New Delhi. PROMOTING GERMANY ON THE DOMESTIC MARKET As well as positioning Germany as a travel destination abroad, since 1999 the GNTB has also been responsible for promoting the German regions as destinations for trips and holidays on the domestic market. It is aided in the planning and implementation of its nationwide domestic marketing activities by its core partners, who include the marketing organisations of the federal states, Deutsche Bahn AG and the tour operators AMEROPA, DERTOUR, Neckermann, TUI and ITS. EXPERTISE THROUGH PROFESSIONAL MARKET STUDIES The GNTB s marketing campaigns are planned on the basis of detailed studies of international markets from sources such as the Federal Statistical Office, the World and German Travel Monitors, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and the analysis of travel patterns conducted by the Urlaub und Reisen e.v. (F.U.R) research organisation. It also carries out its own market research in the source markets and in Germany, adding this information to analyses of trends in inbound and domestic tourism. The German National Tourist Board produces annual market information for all the main source markets with the central key indicators of tourism development, including all planned marketing activities, which are provided to partners free of charge and can be used for their own market evaluation. THEME-BASED MARKETING AND PRODUCT DESIGN The GNTB uses this research to put together basic information and to devise demand-driven, long-term product segments and annual themes, which provide a focus for its worldwide marketing activities. The organisation assists German tourism service providers in the development of customer-focused products for the German and international markets. It also creates and initiates products and services tailored to meet customers requirements. A MULTI-FACETED APPROACH TO WORLDWIDE SALES The GNTB employs a wide range of sales channels to get from the initial product design to a successful connection with the consumer. It presents Destination Germany at the most important international trade fairs (trade/consumer). It signs up new international travel trade customers at workshops and roadshows. It organises the Germany Travel Mart (GTM), the biggest sales event for Germany s inbound tourism. It recruits German and international tour operators as close partners in promoting travel within Germany. It selects international travel professionals and media representatives, invites them on group visits and informs them about Destination Germany. It publishes the Booking Germany manual in print and online formats and uses this as a central sales tool. It has set up the extranet at and as a new information and training medium for the travel industry. It informs travel agencies about current 8

9 offers and programmes within Germany s incoming tourism industry. It communicates with consumers all over the world through its foreign representative offices and sales and marketing agencies. It is continuously extending its presence in growth markets. GENERATING ENTHUSIASM BROAD RANGE OF COMMUNICATION TOOLS The GNTB uses a wide selection of communication methods to get its marketing message across to the public: Intensive press and PR work both in Germany and abroad. Website at with links to partners 23 market-specific websites in 21 languages for consumers Advertising in the international media to secure partners for tourism service providers E-book in 27 languages Development and production of new, theme-related advertising sales brochures, image brochures, product flyers and catalogues Cooperation with the media in Germany and abroad Support and marketing of packages for specific target groups and regions FINANCING AND PARTNERSHIPS The Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology funds the work of the GNTB. The regional marketing organisations and other partners in the federal states, regions, towns and cities also contribute to the marketing budget, as do other providers within the tourism industry. The organisation also uses cooperative ventures with the private sector, media and tourism organisations to generate synergies and combine activities. Ensuring the best possible marketing of the tourism services offered, whilst adhering to our budgetary constraints and covering our costs are central elements of our strategy. PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS The GNTB follows the concept of the public-private partnership in its cooperation with industry, bringing private and public interests together for both commercial and non-commercial projects. This arrangement enables the state and private sector to initiate cooperative ventures and make best use of their budgets. The GNTB has been successfully implementing this model for many years now and will continue to pursue it in future. SUCCESS WITH STRONG PARTNERS The GNTB works in close partnership with its 59 affiliated members: companies from the tourism industry, marketing organisations of the federal states and associations. This cooperation gives the GNTB a presence in important markets throughout the world, enables the GNTB to pool resources and thus work more efficiently to promote Destination Germany and enables the organisation to continuously optimise its marketing. The GNTB acts as a coordinator and central point of contact in the marketing of Destination Germany. 9

10 2. The Importance of Tourism

11 ACCORDING TO UNWTO FIGURES, THERE WERE 808 MILLION INTERNATIONAL ARRIVALS IN 2005 Europe 444 (+4 %) Asia/Pacific Americas 156 (+7%) 133 (+5%) Middle East Africa 38 (+7 %) 37 (+10 %) Arrivals in millions Arrivals in millions 2005 increase (provisional) in % Source: UNWTO 2006 (1) 2.1 TRENDS IN INTERNATIONAL TOURISM 2005 was the biggest year ever for international tourism, with a total of 808 million arrivals throughout the world. The increase of 42 million on the figure for 2004 equates to a rise of 5.5 per cent. Germany was ninth on the list of most popular travel destinations. All the regional destination markets recorded greater numbers of international arrivals: Europe, up four per cent, Asia/Pacific, up seven per cent, Americas, up five per cent, Middle East, up seven per cent and Africa, up an impressive ten per cent. Within Europe (444 million arrivals), southern Europe still leads the way with 159 million arrivals, closely followed by western Europe with 141 million. Measured in numbers of trips, Germany s seven per cent growth was greater than that of our European neighbours and ahead of the global trend of 5.5 per cent. TOURISM STRENGTHENS GERMAN ECONOMIC POSITION The GNTB s primary objective is to promote qualitative and quantitative growth in tourism both to and within Germany. This means a quantitative increase in overnight stays, the strengthening of Germany s competitive position compared to its European neighbours and an increase in revenues from inbound tourism to improve the balance in international trade. As an industry encompassing a variety of different sectors, tourism in Germany generates total added value of 94 billion and contributes 185 billion to the economy, equivalent to around 3.2% of gross domestic product (GDP), excluding business travel, trips to visit friends and family and public-sector investment. This is created primarily by small and medium-sized businesses, such as the country s 53,000 hotels and guesthouses. The tourism industry also provides employment for around 2.8 million people. In this way, the GNTB also enhances the attractiveness of Germany as a business location throughout the world. 2.2 TRENDS IN INCOMING TOURIST TRAFFIC TO GERMANY Between January and December 2005, 48.2 million overnight stays by foreign visitors were recorded at hotels with nine or more beds and campsites in Germany, an increase of 6.4 per cent on the previous year. Today, visitors from abroad account for around one fifth of all overnight stays in Germany, half of all overnight stays in Frankfurt and one third of all overnight stays in Berlin. With receipts of 23.2 billion in 2005, the inbound tourism industry is a key factor in Germany s economy. 11

12 2. THE IMPORTANCE OF TOURISM TOP 20 SOURCE MARKETS FOR GERMANY IN 2005 MEASURED BY OVERNIGHT STAYS Germany has a well diversified mix of source markets Netherlands USA UK Switzerland Italy Belgium Austria France Denmark Spain Sweden Japan Poland Russia PR China/Hong Kong Arab Gulf States Czech Republic Norway Australasia/New Zealand/Oceania Hungary Overnight stays (million) Source: Federal Statistical Office 2006, accommodation statistics incl. camping HIGHLIGHTS Growth from all regional markets The growth in travel to Germany in 2005 was distributed across all the relevant source markets. All the top 15 markets recorded rises from January to December Growth in the amount of travel to Germany from other European countries was particularly dynamic. In terms of the number of overnight stays, Germany recorded above-average growth of 9.5 per cent, with particularly strong growth from south-west Europe. A few examples: An increase of 5.1 per cent to more than 8.4 million overnight stays from the Netherlands, Germany s most important volume source market. An increase of 20.1 per cent to around 1.5 million overnight stays from Spain. An increase of 10.2 per cent to 3.2 million overnight stays from Switzerland. An increase of 8.3 per cent to around 2.7 million overnight stays from Italy. An increase of 8.2 per cent to 2.1 million overnight stays from Austria. An increase of 5.4 per cent to around 4 million overnight stays from the UK. An increase of 20.2 per cent to around 229,000 million overnight stays from Ireland. Growth from the traditional overseas markets The important overseas source markets brought steady growth in 2005: An increase of 2.4 per cent to 4.4 million overnight stays from the USA, the second-best result since 2000, which was a record year for the German tourism industry. An increase of 2.1 per cent to around 1.3 million overnight stays from Japan. Demand for German destinations is growing in the Middle East and Far East. The rise in the number of visitors from the Arab Gulf States is particularly strong, with an increase of 26.7 per cent to 649,000 overnight stays. An impressive 8.8 per rise was recorded in the number of visitors from South Korea, with more than 305,000 overnight stays. The growth market of China also continued its upward trend, with an eight per cent rise to more than 853,000 overnight stays. City breaks in Germany are growing in popularity City breaks were particularly popular with international visitors to Germany in The city break segment recorded a 15 per cent increase from Europe alone, most of which can be attributed to new low-fare deals, the FIFA Confederations Cup Germany 2005 and the great value for money that Germany represents. Hannover recorded a particularly strong increase in the number of overnight stays, up 27.2 per cent. Berlin recorded a 19 per cent rise. Dresden achieved a growth rate of 14 per cent in terms of volume of overnight stays. With an increase of nine per cent, Cologne was above average, as was Munich with an 8 per cent increase. Hotel industry benefits from growth in inbound tourism International visitors are one of the main cornerstones of the hotel industry. The number of overnight stays by international visitors increased by 6.1 per cent from the 2004 figure to around 39 million. Around 80 per cent of the 48 million overnight stays booked in 2005 by international 12

13 GROWTH IN ALL 20 SOURCE MARKETS FOR INCOMING TRAVEL TO GERMANY IN 2005 Netherlands USA UK Switzerland Italy Belgium Austria France Denmark Spain Sweden Japan Poland Russia PR China/Hong Kong Arab Gulf States Czech Republic Norway Australasia/New Zealand/Oceania Hungary 5.1 % 2.4 % 5.4 % 10.2 % 8.3 % 7.1 % 8.2 % 4.2 % 12.1 % 2.1 % 2.1 % 2.4 % 4.8 % 8.0 % 4.8 % 7.8 % 9.4 % 7.8 % 20.1 % 26.7 %. % Source: German Federal Statistical Office 2006, accommodation statistics incl. camping visitors to Germany were in hotels, bed & breakfast hotels, inns and guesthouses. These figures also indicate the significance of the business travel segment. Germany has already increased its market share of the international conference sector by two percentage points from Europe alone in the run up to the 2006 FIFA World Cup, consolidating its position as the leading destination in the world for trade fairs and the second most popular destination for conferences and events. Youth hostels also saw a 19.9 per cent increase in the number of overnight stays by foreign visitors in This high level of growth is the result of extensive modernisation and development work carried out to meet the higher standards now also demanded by budget travellers. The demand for stays at campsites increased by 0.8 per cent. Spas and health resorts Germany s approved health and spa resorts also experienced a considerable increase in the number of overnight stays in 2005: spa resorts and seaside spas recorded 7.7 per cent and 12.8 per cent more overnight stays by foreign visitors respectively. This trend reflects the high level of demand from international travellers for health and wellness themed holidays and bears out the GNTB s decision to focus on this sector. 2.3 TRAVEL BY GERMANS WITHIN GERMANY With a total of some 296 million overnight stays, domestic travel in 2005 remained at the high level witnessed in previous years. There was a 0.8 per cent increase in overnight stays. Germany remained the most popular holiday destination for Germans in 2005, with a market share of 73 per cent of all trips. In research conducted on behalf of the GNTB, the German Travel Monitor recorded a total of 206 million trips by Germans within Germany (involving at least one overnight stay). 30 per cent of Germans took their main holiday (involving more than four overnight stays) in Germany. Germans spent around 56 billion euros holidaying in their own country. Growth in all segments Domestic tourism grew in all segments. Holiday travel increased by three per cent in comparison to the previous year, with Germans making a total of 78.8 million holiday trips in their own country in Business travel involving at least one overnight stay rose by five per cent (29.6 million trips). Around 98 million visits by friends and family were recorded, two per cent more than in The short breaks and city breaks segment saw particularly strong growth. Cities with a population of more than 100,000 enjoyed an aboveaverage increase of 5.6 per cent. The most popular federal states Hamburg recorded the strongest growth of all federal states, with an 8.7 per cent increase in domestic overnight stays between January and December Thuringia led the way among the non-city states, with an increase of 4.2 per cent in overnight stays of visitors from Germany. This was largely due to the great many exhibitions and events staged to mark Schiller Year Similarly, the celebrations marking 1,000 years since the first mention of Magdeburg contributed significantly to the above-average numbers of 13

14 2. THE IMPORTANCE OF TOURISM 2005 SAW A POSITIVE TREND IN ALL OF GERMANY S FEDERAL STATES Overn. stays by for. visitors /04 Bavaria 11,016, North Rhine-Westphalia 7,105, Baden-Württemberg 6,571, Hessen 5,090, Berlin 5,025, Rhineland-Palatinate 4,733, Lower Saxony 2,463, Hamburg 1,311, Sachsen 1.168, Schleswig-Holstein 1,103, Mecklenb.-West. Pomerania 646, Brandenburg ,5 Thuringia ,0 Saxony-Anhalt ,2 Bremen ,2 Saarland ,8 Overn. stays by Germ. nation /04 Bavaria 63,557, Baden-Württemberg 33,929, Lower Saxony 31,821, North Rhine-Westphalia 31,333, Mecklenb.-West. Pomerania 23,847, Schleswig-Holstein 21,258, Hessen 20,083, Rhineland-Palatinate 15,184, Sachsen 14,235, Berlin 9,594, Brandenburg 8,787, Thuringia 8,350, Saxony-Anhalt 5,671, Hamburg 5,123, Saarland 1,884, Bremen ,2 Source: Federal Statistical Office 2006, accommodation statistics incl. camping visitors to Saxony-Anhalt from within Germany. Most Germans who took their main holiday in Germany in 2005 headed for the mountains or the coast: Bavaria had a market share of 7.2 per cent, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania 4.7 per cent and Schleswig-Holstein 4.2 per cent. 3.5 per cent of main holidays were spent in Lower Saxony and 2.5 per cent in Baden-Württemberg. After the car/camper van (73.4 per cent), the train was the most important form of transport with a market share of 14.5 per cent. 2.4 FACTORS IN THE SUCCESS OF TOURISM IN GERMANY The 2006 FIFA World Cup offers opportunities for the future positioning of Germany and is a platform for the global promotion of German towns, cities and regions, for example with the Great holidays on a small budget campaign. Shopping tourism in Germany is set to increase. As a destination, Germany offers trusted brands and a wide range of choice, and the GNTB is working hard to emphasise the attractions of Germany as a shopping destination. By the end of the decade the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi) is predicting an increase in shopping tourism of around 20 per cent to 15 billion euros, and among foreign shopping tourists a 40 per cent increase to 3.5 billion euros. The GNTB will generate more than four million contacts throughout the world with the worldwide marketing of the Shopping made in Germany brochure alone. Germany is one of the world s leading destinations for travellers with an interest in culture. The dynamic growth amongst the city destinations is based on increased demand for culture and events. Since 2000, Germany has attracted around 20 per cent more cultural trips from within Europe and is now the 3rd most popular cultural destination in the world for Europeans. Its wide selection of cultural 14

15 institutions and more than three million events a year underscores Germany s position as a leading international cultural destination. Germany offers a wide range of health and wellness products and services. Quality certification schemes run by the federal states, an excellent hotel industry and the services offered by the German health and spa resorts mean that the increasing numbers of spa visitors can choose from an array of great products. The internet is the GNTB s main information and communication tool for promoting travel to Germany and the website at serves as a comprehensive online travel guide for Germany in twelve different languages. The website contains a vast amount of basic information on the highlights in Germany, and the implementation of the Top 50 concept means that this information is now clearly structured in categories such as Cities or Scenic Routes. The GNTB has been the central service provider for nationwide domestic marketing since 1997 and in December 2005 the economic ministers of the federal states extended the mandate to The GNTB is using sales-promoting measures and cooperative arrangements with both the traditional media and new media to achieve further growth in travel within Germany. The service and friendliness campaign puts the slogan of the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany A time to make friends into practice with a comprehensive package of measures. This campaign is an integral element of the host nation concept developed by the federal government for this major sporting event. Financed by the Federal Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Economics and Technology and coordinated by the GNTB, this initiative of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee Germany and the German National Tourist Board is intended to strengthen the positive image of Germany as a travel destination through improved levels of service before, during and after the 2006 FIFA World Cup throughout every level of the service industry and among the population as a whole, and to lead to greater volumes of inbound tourism in future. 15

16 3. International Sales and Marketing

17 atur 3. INTERNATIONAL SALES AND MARKETING 3.1 Marketing themes The GNTB develops its sales and marketing activities on the basis of rigorous analysis and assessment of the market. The international Culture and Health megatrends provide the foundation for its two major product lines: City Tours/Events and Health & Fitness Holidays which it uses to develop key campaigns, long-term product segments and basic information and to devise themes for its international marketing activities. The GNTB also draws on anniversaries and major events to supplement its key themes, and initiates appropriate market-specific campaigns. THE HEALTH & FITNESS HOLIDAYS PRODUCT LINE Theme for 2005: Family Holidays in Germany In 2005, the GNTB focused on the family holidays segment, in particular to encourage families in the most important source markets for this segment, i.e. Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Italy, Poland and Switzerland, to visit the German holiday regions. The theme year presented Germany as a varied, modern and vibrant destination with plenty to see and do. Leisure, nature, urban culture and journeys of discovery were emphasised as holiday themes. The GNTB had set itself two aims for this campaign, namely to increase the number of family holidays as a proportion of overall travel to Germany, and to encourage providers to come up with more family-friendly products. The existing quality marques for family and child-friendly products were also used and communicated more widely in connection with this theme year. In the build-up to the Family Holidays in Germany campaign the GNTB published an insert in autumn 2004 called Look! Family fun. In May 2005, a special family holidays section was put on the GNTB websites at and In August 2005, the GNTB published a new leisure map for families providing a wealth of travel tips on leisure parks and theme parks, outdoor activities, watersports and city breaks. It was printed in eight languages and distributed as an insert in established family and women s magazines in the Polish, Swiss, Danish and Belgian markets. The GNTB s activities promoting family holidays in Germany also include print advertisements, a competition, continuous press and PR activities and presentations on the GNTB s trade fair stands. 17

18 3. INTERNATIONAL SALES AND MARKETING Footballing legends on the Germany stand at ITB 2005: In conversation with Petra Hedorfer, German National Tourist Board (l. to r.): Olaf Thon, FIFA World Cup Ambassador for Gelsenkirchen; Bernd Hölzenbein, FIFA World Cup Ambassador for Frankfurt am Main; Michael Preetz, FIFA World Cup Ambassador for Berlin; Uwe Seeler, FIFA World Cup Ambassador for Hamburg; Stefan Reuter, FIFA World Cup Ambassador for Dortmund; René Müller, FIFA World Cup Ambassador for Leipzig; Horst Eckel, FIFA World Cup Ambassador for Kaiserslautern; Hans Siemensmeyer, FIFA World Cup Ambassador for Hannover. In the pipeline: Theme for 2006: 2006 FIFA WORLD CUP GERMANY theme year The GNTB had already initiated a large number of activities in advance of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and in fact started its build-up in 2001 with its focus on positioning Germany throughout the world as a welcoming, multi-faceted visitor destination. In 2005, the GNTB further stepped up its activities in order to maximise the longterm potential from the 2006 FIFA World Cup for the German travel industry. It helped to design a new hotel catalogue in collaboration with the 2006 FIFA World CupTM Accommodation Services (WCAS). The catalogue was published in time for ITB 2005 and contains details of around 530 places to stay during the World Cup, plus interesting facts about the host cities, their main tourist attractions and sightseeing tips. In the autumn of 2005, the GNTB also formalised its alliance with the Nationale DFB Kulturstiftung WM 2006 ggmbh (KS) the German football association s cultural foundation which is responsible for the organisation and management of the official arts and culture programme accompanying the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The GNTB will be promoting the KS s 48 projects via its 30 foreign representative office, including for example joint campaigns to promote the Football Globe Germany, a travelling pavilion in the form of a giant football with informative and artistic displays on the allure of the sport, which will tour cities all over the world. The GNTB has also included numerous events organised by the KS in its Travel Tips publication, the new World Cup Pocket Guide and on its stands at international trade fairs. As the official partner country of the 2005 ITB Trade Fair in Berlin, Germany also promoted itself as an outward-looking and hospitable World Cup host nation. Leading personalities from German and international politics as well as stars from the world of football made appearances at the ITB s opening evening on 11 March A panel discussion on the GNTB stand with footballing legends such as Horst Eckel, Uwe Seeler, Bernd Hölzenbein and Hans Siemensmeyer, who were promoting the FIFA World Cup Host Cities as World Cup ambassadors, met with a tremendous response from the public attending the ITB. The World Cup theme was also incorporated into all of the GNTB s global marketing and communication campaigns in 2005 based on the joint action plan with the 2006 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee. The GNTB initiated a project to support the official 2006 FIFA World Cup charity project run by SOS-Kinderdörfer and is collecting donations for the Six villages for 2006 project using its Score for charity campaign at major trade fairs and travel trade events across the world. A football corner with information about the twelve FIFA World Cup Host Cities and their surrounding regions is part of the design of all the GNTB s trade fair stands. Trade fairs at which the GNTB promoted Germany as the World Cup host country included the Vakantiebeurs in Utrecht in January, TUR 2005 in Gothenburg in March, MIT in Paris in October and the World Travel Mart (WTM) in London in November A Soccer Day provided a footballing focus for the Germany a SENSE-sational Experience exhibition in the Vanderbilt Hall at New York s Grand Central Station at the beginning of June

19 Well-known personalities at the Ferien trade fair in Vienna, January 2006: Toni Polster, Austrian footballing legend (r.), who took part in a GNTB discussion on the Germany stand, with the Austrian host Peter Elstner (centre) and Knud Jörgen, Regional Manager, GNTB South East Europe. High-profile panel discussion at the 2006 Vakantiebeurs in Utrecht: (l. to r.) Rijkert Kettelhake, head of the GNTB s North West Europe regional management office; Evert ten Napel, Dutch sports journalist; Stefan Reuter, FIFA World Cup Ambassador for Dortmund and Hans van Breukelen, former Dutch national team goalkeeper. FITUR, end of January 2006 in Madrid: Bernd Schuster, coach of the Spanish premier league club Getafe C.F., promotes Germany, the next World Cup host country, with Harald Henning, manager of the GNTB South West Europe regional management office. The GNTB organised an advance press conference during the year under review in preparation for Ferien 2006 in Vienna, Austria s leading travel trade fair. Held at the beginning of 2006, it highlighted Germany as a partner country and featured a wealth of activities associated with the 2006 FIFA World Cup. International fact-finding tours and workshops were used intensively in all markets to impress upon journalists and travel trade professionals the diversity of the World Cup host nation as a travel destination. The programme included events with distinguished guests, such as the football event jointly organised by the GNTB and the Munich tourist office in November 2005 in the Bavarian regional capital. The three-day event enabled 40 tourism experts from Sweden, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Ireland, the UK and Poland to get to know Munich s tourist attractions, culminating in the opportunity to attend a football match in the Allianz Arena between two top German teams, Bayern Munich and Mainz 05. The key communication tools used by the GNTB in 2005 to highlight the World Cup theme whilst promoting Destination Germany were a CD of photos of all the German World Cup host cities and a 44-page brochure in eleven languages entitled An all-round experience. 270,000 copies were distributed worldwide from autumn Football-related information and pre-bookable packages could also be downloaded from the website at as well as the 23 marketspecific websites. To supplement An all-round experience, the brochure for the 2006 FIFA World Cup issued in 2004, the GNTB published an e-book featuring the World Cup host cities and their surrounding regions which was distributed to opinion-formers, the media and tour operators. In December 2005, the GNTB published a pocket guide for football fans with a foreword by Franz Beckenbauer, President of the Organising Committee inviting them to the 2006 FIFA World CupTM in Germany. Well laid-out and informative, this handy brochure tells fans everything they need to know about the top tourist attractions and the stadiums in the twelve FIFA World Cup Host Cities. A folding map of Germany helps them to get their bearings whilst special tips for events during the tournament, a group match schedule and a two-page chart add to the pocket guide s practical use. Two million copies have been printed and it is available in a total 19

20 3. INTERNATIONAL SALES AND MARKETING of 14 languages: German, French, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Russian, Arabic, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Swedish, Czech and Turkish. As soon as the draw for the World Cup finals had taken place on 9 December 2005, the GNTB kicked off its special promotion of Germany as a travel destination in the run-up to the FIFA World CupTM with a global print advertising campaign in travel trade journals. All of the GNTB s foreign representative offices whose markets had qualified for 2006 FIFA World Cup supplied media plans. The adverts were placed in a total of 15 countries, including in the Dutch journal Reisrevue, the Polish magazines Podróže and Voyage, the Travel Journal in Japan and the Okaz newspaper in Saudi Arabia. Advertisements, often supplemented by an electronic newsletter, were also placed in Australia, Brazil, the UK, France, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, Spain, the Czech Republic and the USA. The message in the eye-catching, four-colour adverts congratulated each country on qualifying for the World Cup and invited their citizens to visit Destination Germany. The advertising campaign achieved a considerable reach and generated an enormous response. Outlook for 2006: During 2005, the GNTB prepared a number of other international promotional campaigns with support from well-known personalities such as Bernd Schuster, a former member of the German national team, who attended the FITUR trade fair in January in Madrid. Stefan Reuter, World Cup ambassador for Dortmund, took part along with other sporting celebrities in the GNTB s World Cup talk at the Vakantiebeurs trade fair in Utrecht in January 2006, whilst Thomas Berthold, a member of the German team that won the World Cup in 1990, supported the GNTB at road shows in Italy in February. THE CITY BREAKS/EVENTS PRODUCT LINE Theme year for 2005 Vibrant Towns and Cities Vibrant Towns and Cities, the theme for 2005, brought urban destinations back into the centre of the GNTB s marketing activities, following the 2003 campaign, Enchanting Towns in Germany. The theme was developed around the diversity of German towns and cities: sightseeing, atmosphere, shopping and good food and drink, plus visits to museums, exhibitions, parks and green spaces. The arts and culture were at the forefront with a huge variety of fairs, festivals and open-air performances, theatres, musicals and cabaret. The GNTB has coordinated its print and internet activities promoting Vibrant Towns and Cities. On the print side there was a sales brochure for consumers with town profiles and other information about towns and cities in eight languages, whilst hints and tips could be found in the German Cities section of the GNTB website and on the market-specific websites for the key markets of the USA and the UK, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, France, Italy and Japan. The theme was also presented for the international travel trade in the GNTB Booking Germany 2005 sales guide, which is available in print and online. A global print advertising campaign was a key marketing tool in the Vibrant Towns and Cities theme year. Image adverts showing the city destinations of Berlin, Frankfurt am Main, Cologne, Dresden, Munich and Hamburg were seen by over 100 million readers of leading publications in the USA and Canada, Japan, China, the UK, Spain, Austria, Switzerland, France and Italy. In the pipeline: Shopping in Germany, a theme for 2006 The second key theme in the GNTB s global marketing and selling activities in 2006 is Shopping in Germany. The GNTB intends to use this campaign both to tap into the continuing boom in city breaks and to use the attention focused on Germany as a result of hosting the World Cup in 2006 to position Germany as an attractive shopping destination. As well as the popular shopping destinations of cities and town centres, the theme year also features Germany s rural areas with their traditional regional products and easily accessible outlet centres. The importance of shopping tourism is growing on the back of the fastgrowing city breaks sector, which has been given further impetus by the availability of cheap flights. Germany is perfect for a shopping break because of its affordable prices, trusted brands and excellent tourism infrastructure. Eager shoppers also benefit from the excellent value for money offered by German hotels and restaurants in comparison with their European counterparts. 20

21 At the end of 2005, the GNTB published the Shopping made in Germany brochure, containing comprehensive information about shopping in Germany, predominantly in relation to shopping centres in the towns and cities, but also including further details about individual brands and products. This 48-page brochure in A5 format is published in a total of nine languages. The brochure is distributed by the GNTB s foreign representative offices and sales and marketing agencies and as an insert in publications in the important source markets for shopping holidays - China, Japan and the USA - plus Switzerland, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain, Poland, Austria, Russia, the United Kingdom, Ireland and France. More detailed information from the shopping guide has also been available on the GNTB s website at wwww.germany-tourism.de and on the market-specific websites since spring In addition, prospective visitors can get information about a variety of shopping opportunities in Germany under Top 50 shopping destinations. The GNTB is using its entire range of marketing tools and its cooperation agreements with partners in industry in Germany and abroad to promote the shopping theme. Theme years being developed for 2007 to 2010 Working together with its partners, the GNTB is focusing on the following themes for the coming years: 2007: Art and Culture in Germany 2008: Parks and Palaces Romanticism in Germany 2009: Germany in the Heart of Europe Towns, Cities and Regions 2010: Essen 2010 European Capital of Culture Towns and Cities of Culture in Germany PRODUCT SEGMENTS OF THE HEALTH & FITNESS HOLIDAYS PRODUCT LINE Wellness in Germany With a total of 320 approved spas and health resorts, Germany offers a whole host of options for healthy holidays and relaxing mini-breaks. The GNTB publicises Germany s range of mineral and mud spas, climatic health resorts, seaside health resorts and seaside spas as well as hydrotherapy spas and health resorts through the Wellness in Germany product segment. The Wellness in Germany campaign introduces consumers all over the world and especially business travellers to wellbeing programmes provided by German towns and cities and the hotel industry. Wellness enthusiasts will find comprehensive information on the Germany website at or Packages put together by selected spas and health resorts can be accessed via an interactive map of Germany, and a wellness glossary provides background information on therapies and treatments from anti-ageing to Zen. 21

22 3. INTERNATIONAL SALES AND MARKETING In autumn 2005, the GNTB produced a new wellness brochure aimed at its main source markets in south-west Europe. Wellness in Germany - an all-round experience targets rising demand for health-related products and services, which is particularly marked in France, Switzerland, Spain and Italy. The brochure was published in five languages and distributed via all the GNTB s sales channels. Inclusive packages from the brochure have also been included on the GNTB s marketspecific websites. The organisation has used this campaign to intensify its marketing and sales activities for the wellness theme and after the World Cup will expand it into a major health and fitness offensive. Sporting Germany The Discover Germany by Bike brochure, the fifth to be published jointly by the German Cyclists Federation (ADFC) and the GNTB, was issued in March A 92-page brochure on the theme of Towns countryside rivers, it was published in both German and English and features 140 longdistance cycle routes spanning a total of about 40,000 kilometres. Alongside established routes there are also 30 new trails, such as the Mozart Cycle Path, mountainbiking regions in Franconia and Saarland and the Teutoburg Forest Wellness Cycle Route. The Bremen City Cycle Route is the first urban tour to be featured. The GNTB also made the contents of the brochure available on its website at cycling.htm with a route finder, interactive map of Germany, events and tips for upcoming attractions. Users are invited to submit criticism and suggestions and to enter a competition. The GNTB website also has information about other sports that make a holiday in Germany such a varied experience, from skiing, tobogganing and walking to sailing, diving, kite surfing, hang-gliding and free climbing. Scenic Routes in Germany Germany s 150 or so scenic routes are an important element of the GNTB s international sales and marketing activities. They take visitors on a wide variety of themed tours of Germany s towns, cities, regions and countryside. Details of 50 routes and the places of interest along them can be found online at The section on the website covering scenic routes has been repackaged for 2006 and the GNTB will be bringing tourist routes to the fore as a key theme in PRODUCT SEGMENTS OF THE CITY BREAKS/EVENTS PRODUCT LINE Young and Free in Germany As an important target group, especially in Europe, the GNTB provides young travellers between the ages of 15 and 34 with extensive information about Destination Germany, principally via the internet. Young people can find tips and special offers tailored to their needs in the Germany for...young people section of the website at and The events database on the GNTB website also features a number of events designed to encourage young travellers to visit Germany. In selected markets such as Spain and France, the GNTB also heavily promotes language holidays in Germany. In the spring of 2005, the GNTB published the image flyer Don t just dream about it go for it! in eight languages, primarily for use in Poland, Switzerland, the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Italy and Japan. It also incorporated an online game on the Germany website for ITB 2005 in four versions, each with a different theme picking up on holiday ideas that appeal to young travellers. The city tour version takes users on an urban tour, giving them tips about Germany as a city-break destination as the game progresses. In the mountain biking version players follow an obstacle course illustrating possibilities for cycling holidays in Germany. Windsurfing fun is based on holidays by the water, whilst the Rollercoaster! version features Germany s wide range of theme parks. BASIC INFORMATION Map of Germany The GNTB s map of Germany is an important promotional tool and was used throughout the world again in It provides a cartographic representation showing the most important 50 destinations for inbound tourists in the following categories: federal states, regions, scenic routes, towns and cities, spas and health resorts and trade fair and conference venues. The map also prominently marks UNESCO world heritage sites, Magic Cities, Historic Highlights, theme parks and national parks. Germany Magazine The first edition of the GNTB s new magazine aimed at consumers appeared in February 2005 with the title German Worlds discover, experience, enjoy. Different editions of German Worlds are published for Europe, the Americas and Asia/Arabia. Each 66-page, four-colour publication is intended to further enhance the positive image of Destination Germany abroad and to create an international platform raising awareness of Germany as a cultural nation and holiday destination. They cover the GNTB s themed campaigns and market-specific themes such as city breaks/events with sightseeing and shopping, UNESCO world heritage sites and customs and traditions for the Americas 22

23 edition. The GNTB distributes the magazines at trade fairs all over the world, via its foreign representative offices and sales and marketing agencies, workshops and mailshots as well as through German embassies and branches of the Goethe Institute. It is aimed at people with a love of culture, city break travellers and holidaymakers with an interest in sport and wellness, young people and business travellers and conference and incentive travel organisers. The European edition is published twice a year in English, German, Italian, French and Spanish. The Americas edition comes out once a year in English, French and Spanish. The GNTB is planning an annual edition of the magazine in Japanese, Chinese and English. The new publication is an amalgamation of several magazines previously published separately. Only the largest source market for travel to Germany, the Netherlands, still publishes a specialist magazine aimed at this market called Vakantieboek Duits land. Welcome to Germany, a publication for English-speaking markets, used to be published twice a year in spring and autumn. Christmas Markets in Germany Germany s 2,500 or so Christmas markets attract large numbers of international visitors, and are a major economic factor in the German travel industry. Around 160 million visitors from neighbouring countries and overseas travel to Germany each year to visit its Christmas markets. In 2005, the GNTB catered to this huge demand with its new consumer brochure Germany Welcome to Christmas Wonderland. The brochure was published in German, English, French, Italian, Dutch, Danish and Swedish and replaces around 50 individual brochures and two marketspecific publications. The brochure contains information on yuletide customs and traditions in Germany, along with programmes of entertainment and other 23

24 3. INTERNATIONAL SALES AND MARKETING events surrounding the Christmas markets, including culture and shopping, and an overview of around 100 Christmas markets grouped by region. The GNTB has also published the information contained in the brochure on the internet at together with additional Christmas markets from the GNTB database. Great holidays on a small budget The Great holidays on a small budget brochure is a collection of low-cost accommodation options for cost-conscious visitors to Germany, particularly young people and families with children. In 2005, the GNTB produced a new edition of the brochure under the same name. It features about 300 inexpensive hotels and guesthouses and has been distributed worldwide since March Internet users can also access information about small and medium-sized accommodation providers and youth hostels on the GNTB website at Camping & Caravanning The GNTB s Camping & Caravanning theme is aimed at a target group of caravan and motor home tourists, largely from the Netherlands and from overseas. Its cooperation partners for this theme are the German Tourism Association (DTV), the Federal Association of German Campsites (BVCD) and the German Automobile Association ADAC. German campsites are featured in a brochure and also on the GNTB website. 3.2 NEW MEDIA MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES Germany e-books: Basic e-book in 27 languages In February 2005, the GNTB created a new basic product for global use in the form of a digital e-book that encapsulates the diversity of Germany in 27 major world languages. A virtual reference system, it promotes Germany as a travel destination and appeals directly to the reader at an emotional level. Readers from Asia, the Americas and Europe each have their own edition and can scroll through lavishly illustrated pages and access detailed information via direct web links. The e-book can be scrolled manually or viewed as a continuous display. All 27 language versions, including Bengali, Punjabi, Korean and Turkish as well as the major world languages, can be accessed individually on a CD. The GNTB supplies the Germany e-book on its website and via direct mailshots and also distributes this new tool via partners such as airlines and chambers of commerce. Other important distribution channels include trade fairs, workshops and press work. Castles and palaces e-book A second e-book on Castles and palaces has been issued for the Italian, Swiss, French and US markets. Picture database In 2005, the GNTB expanded its picture database to include more than 3,500 images of Germany. The collection of images is available to the GNTB s partners over the internet and can be used by tour operators and the media. The GNTB has created a standard structure using the picture databases of Bavaria, Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Saxony, enabling users to access a collection amalgamated from all these databases directly from one interface and to download images of Germany as printable files. The continual rise in the number of times the database is accessed and pictures are searched at the end of 2005 about 1,500 orders per month underscores the importance of this marketing tool as a service to the travel industry and the media. In order to add relevant pictures to its database, the GNTB has carried out a comprehensive photo shoot in the twelve towns and cities where the greatest numbers of overseas visitors stay. 3.3 AWARDS In January 2005, Deutscher Fachverlag, which publishes the travel trade journals Der Hotelier and Allgemeine Hotel- und Gaststättenzeitung, recognised the contribution made by the GNTB to the German hotel industry with a Special Award at the prestigious Hotelier of the Year awards. The GNTB was presented with the Homo Turisticus award for the professional design of its Germany stand at the 13th International TT Warsaw Tour & Travel fair in September The organisation s offices abroad were also award winners. Its foreign representative office in Zurich received its first Travel Star from the Swiss travel trade journal Travel Inside as the best foreign tourist office of the year following several years in second place. In northern Europe its Copenhagen office was named best tourist office in Denmark and presented with the Danish Travel Award by Stand By, a specialist travel magazine. In Brazil, the strongest source market in South America for travel to Germany, the GNTB was honoured as best national tourist office of the year for its services to the tourism industry in Brazil by the journalists and publisher of Viagem e Turismo, the country s biggest monthly travel magazine. Petra Hedorfer, Chief Executive Officer of the GNTB, was awarded the Capo Circeo Prize for her long service and commitment to cultural tourism by the German-Italian Friendship Association in November The prize has been awarded since 1977 to public figures who have distinguished themselves in the field of politics, finance, business or culture and is sponsored by the Italian Foreign Office, the Italian Ministry of Culture and the Lazio regional government. 24

25 l. to. r.: Klaus Laepple, President of the Federal Association of the German Tourism Industry and chairman of the GNTB Board of Directors, Franz Beckenbauer, President of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee Germany Petra Hedorfer, GNTB, at ITB 2005 in Berlin. 3.4 PRESS AND PR ACTIVITIES Intensive press and PR work by the GNTB in Germany and abroad helps to raise awareness of Destination Germany. In 2005, the GNTB held a total of four press conferences in Germany, including two international press conferences at the ITB in Berlin and the Germany Travel Mart (GTM) in Wiesbaden. At its press conferences the GNTB updated media representatives about current trends and developments in the German travel industry as well as its marketing campaigns for 2005 and The focus was on activities in the build-up to the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Franz Beckenbauer, the president of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee Germany, was a high-profile guest on the podium at the ITB press conference. He stressed the importance of the 2006 FIFA World Cup for Germany and the opportunity it brings for the country to present itself to the entire world as football-mad, hospitable and service-driven. The GNTB organised some 250 press conferences around the world attended by about 3,900 people. Around 750 journalists were informed about the GNTB s marketing activities at approximately 350 background press meetings, and the GNTB also organised a further 200 or so interviews and press calls. The GNTB s long-established fortnightly international news service Travel Tips continued to be published in German and English in The newsletter included about 1,500 articles providing the international media, cultural institutions and the travel industry with information about the latest product and service offerings from Germany s towns, cities and regions. In addition, the GNTB introduced electronic newsletters as a new source of information in 2005 giving consumers and partners in the international travel industry specific, up-to-date information about Germany as a travel destination, the latest news from the German travel industry on specific topics and items of interest to specific target groups as well as details of the GNTB s marketing activities. These regular information services were already available in Belgium, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain where they were extremely well received. A wide range of evaluation methods is used to monitor the success of the newsletters and to continuously adapt and optimise them. Integrating them into the GNTB s customer information system also provides a basis for professional customer relationship management. More than 1,500 journalists from around the world took part in about 600 press tours organised by the GNTB in 2005 in conjunction with Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Deutsche Bahn AG and GNTB members from the German federal states, regions, towns and cities. 25

26 3. INTERNATIONAL SALES AND MARKETING Additional key themes: Events and market-specific campaigns To supplement its theme years, product segments and basic information, the GNTB is using the following events and anniversaries to promote Destination Germany in the volume markets: 2005: Bicentenary of the death of Friedrich Schiller The 200th anniversary of the death of Friedrich Schiller fell in 2005 and the GNTB used the occasion for the global promotion of packages offered by its partners as well as themed events commemorating the famous Weimar classicist writer. Many of the events took place in Baden-Württemberg and Thuringia, but there were also events in other parts of Germany and the GNTB promoted them heavily in its online database and press releases as well as putting a large Schiller section on its websites at and : Consecration of the Church of Our Lady in Dresden, 30 October 2005 The service to consecrate Dresden s Church of Our Lady on 30 October 2005 was a special highlight of 2005, which the GNTB used to promote travel to Germany. The GNTB featured the consecration and other events taking place in Dresden in 2005 on the Destination Germany section of its website at : Einstein Year Events and exhibitions celebrating the 100th anniversary of the theory of relativity and the 50th anniversary of the death of Albert Einstein took place all over Germany in 2005, many of them in Berlin and Potsdam. The GNTB stepped up its press activities to promote this anniversary 2005: Federal Garden Show in Munich The 2005 Federal Garden Show which took place from 28 April until 9 October in Munich was a major attraction attended by about three million visitors. Its 190 hectare site was transformed into a fabulous garden landscape. Almost 8,000 events were staged during the show, including cultural and sporting events, children s activities and tourist events. The Federal Garden Show was incorporated into all the GNTB s marketing and sales tools. 2005: 20th World Youth Day, 16 to 21 August in Cologne In the run-up to the 20th World Youth Day (WYD) the GNTB promoted Germany as a destination for the youth market at the International WYD Conference held in January and attended by over 250 German and international participants from 70 countries youth care representatives of every Bishop s Conference in the world, representatives of international church movements and delegates from individual German dioceses. With its holy masses, catechisms and large youth festival with concerts, the WYD transformed the Rhineland city of Cologne into one giant meeting place. With around 410,000 registered pilgrims from 188 countries and more than a million participants, this major event was an ideal opportunity for promoting Germany to the world as a young, diverse holiday destination. The GNTB s contribution to WYD took the form of 500,000 pocket-size maps of Germany for young pilgrims to keep in their rucksacks. As well as a summary of Germany s many holiday destinations the map also contained a special promotion to encourage young people to visit Germany again. 26

27 2005/2006: Germany in Japan campaign The German government initiated the Germany in Japan 2005/2006 campaign on 4 April 2005 to provide the Japanese with a comprehensive insight into the Germany of today. The focus was on themes such as business, culture, science, education and society and of course on Germany as a holiday destination. The GNTB used a range of initiatives within the campaign to enhance Germany s image in Japan, including the new Germany in Japan Year 2005/2006 Best Tour Award for the most innovative Japanese tour operator. The GNTB highlighted German branded goods such as designer and lifestyle products, food and fashion in a total of 17 department stores in Tokyo. In September the GNTB s stand encouraged visitors to the JATA World Travel Fair in Tokyo to visit Germany, providing lots of information about the 2006 FIFA World Cup. 2006: 250 Years of Mozart To mark the 250th anniversary of the birth of the musician and composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, music fans from around world are invited to Germany to discover more about this musical genius. As part of its marketing activities, the GNTB is featuring German towns and cities which Mozart visited on tour as a child prodigy and which are celebrating Mozart Year with special events. These include Augsburg, Mannheim, Frankfurt am Main, Würzburg, Cologne, Passau and Dresden. The GNTB s flyer 250 years of W. A. Mozart Germany celebrates with details of Mozart-related events in the coming year including bookable packages should inspire visitors to explore Germany s cultural side. Around 20,500 copies of the flyer will be printed in German, English and Italian, and distributed at events such as trade fairs and workshops. In September 2005, the GNTB, the Austrian organisation Österreich Werbung and Hertz car rentals jointly organised a cross-border press rally entitled Magic Flutes and Figaros cultural attractions on the Mozart Cycle Path. Seven journalists from Germany and four Austrian media representatives spent four days following in the musician s footsteps. The GNTB also organised individual tours for journalists. Workshops, seminars and the GNTB s stands at trade fairs also took up the Mozart anniversary theme. One example was the Alemania/ Austria workshop run jointly with Österreich Werbung in Spain in October The Mozart Year theme also appears in the GNTB s international press releases, on its website at and its market-specific sites. Numerous events associated with the composer are also listed in the online events database. The GNTB is also running a light-hearted online quiz about Mozart. Participants can increase their knowledge about the great composer by visiting the website. The GNTB s activities promoting Mozart Year have been so successful that twelve cultural tour operators in neighbouring Switzerland have included the theme in their brochures. Other events and marketing themes for 2006 to 2010: 2006: Dresden s 800-year jubilee Germany, home of the motor car Scenic routes 2007: documenta 12 art exhibition Germany s museums 2008: Munich s 850-year jubilee Town festivals in Germany Culinary Germany 2009: 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall 2010: Oberammergau Passion Plays 200 years of the Munich Beer Festival International Construction Exhibition (IBA) in Saxony-Anhalt 27

28 3. INTERNATIONAL SALES AND MARKETING 3.5 COOPERATION AGREEMENTS AND MARKETING ASSOCIATIONS In 2005, the GNTB intensified its collaboration with its most important partners in industry, Deutsche Lufthansa AG and Deutsche Bahn AG. Joint business plans focusing on key markets were devised and implemented using the full range of marketing tools. The GNTB once again supported a variety of marketing associations by means of joint activities implemented under annual action plans. COOPERATION AGREEMENTS Deutsche Lufthansa AG The GNTB s successful alliance with its member organisation Deutsche Lufthansa AG is an important cornerstone of its international marketing activities and it is being actively developed. In addition to their core collaboration, both partners concentrate on selected key markets and growth markets. In 2005, the focus of the GNTB s partnership with Lufthansa was on joint marketing and sales activities in these markets, with a special emphasis on fact-finding tours for the international travel industry and the press. The 2005 Germany Travel Mart in Wiesbaden, Mainz and Frankfurt, was a prime example of this, during which Lufthansa featured prominently at the international press conference and the seminars for tour operators and travel agents. In partnership with the GNTB, Lufthansa flew more than 600 buyers from 40 countries to Germany. One of the other highlights of 2005 was the Rhine River Promotion for around 80 buyers from key markets, including the USA, Canada, China, north-east Europe and Spain. The GNTB liaised closely with the airline to run about 600 fact-finding tours for journalists and travel industry professionals from all over the world. Deutsche Bahn AG The GNTB maintains a close alliance with Deutsche Bahn AG (DB) in terms of international and domestic marketing activities. As part of its global marketing and sales efforts the GNTB is involved in joint projects with DB in the 28 markets in which it operates. In 2005 the close collaboration between the partners was intensified even further, with particular emphasis on project-specific activities in selected key markets. In Italy, for example, an advertising campaign Christmas Markets in Germany was run in the print media. In Switzerland the GNTB ran a joint poster campaign with DB called Castles and Palaces/Highlights of Germany in 100 buses and trams in Berne. The two cooperation partners launched a campaign in Belgium to publicise new CityNightLine services. Discover Germany by train fact-finding tours for travel trade professionals and journalists are another cornerstone of the GNTB s alliance with DB with more than 200 taking place in DB also appeared in GNTB publications such as the Booking Germany 2006 sales guide and the Vibrant Towns and Cities and Great holidays on a small budget brochures. Deutsche Bahn AG is also featured on the GNTB s website. DB is a core partner of the GNTB in Germany and together they use a range of sales and communications methods to increase the market share of rail travel in Germany. MARKETING ASSOCIATIONS GCB German Convention Bureau e.v. The GNTB has collaborated with the GCB German Convention Bureau for many years and as part of their alliance, Petra Hedorfer is Chair of the Board of Directors of the GCB German Convention Bureau. The GCB promotes Germany internationally and domestically as a venue for congresses, conferences, events and incentive travel and is the contact point for anyone planning events in Germany. Its 200 or so members, which include leading hotels, congress centres and venues, car rental companies, events agencies, service providers for the German conference and congress sector, Lufthansa and Deutsche Bahn, are important partners for the GCB. As a strategic partner of IMEX incorporating Meetings made in Germany the worldwide exhibition for incentive travel, meetings and events, the GCB also plays a pivotal role in establishing and enhancing Germany s position as a leading world venue for meetings, incentives, conferences and events. GCB and GNTB, partners on the Germany stand at the IMEX incorporating Meetings made in Germany trade fair in Frankfurt am Main, April

29 ahn, Lufthansa1/4 ANDSCHAFT Jointly-run workshop events form the core of the alliance between the GNTB and the GCB. In 2005 the GNTB organised the following workshops in conjunction with the GCB: NTO Workshop, London and Birmingham, June 2005 Borsa Turismo Congressuale (BTC), Florence, November 2005 Meetings made in Germany workshop, London, December Joint market research in the business travel segment is another central area of activity. At the beginning of 2003 the GCB and the GNTB analysed and published fundamental data on supply and demand in this segment in conjunction with Ghh Consult. Both the GNTB and the GCB are keen to gather data on the world s leading country for trade fairs and Europe s No. 1 country for congresses and conferences in the context of the global Tourism Satellite Account research undertaken for the UNWTO and the WTTC Consequently, the two organisations devised a wide-ranging research programme to analyse market demand in Germany and the importance of the domestic travel market and commissioned TNS Infratest to carry out the research. The GNTB is to supplement this with extensive documentation on the inbound business travel market using World Travel Monitor data. Their third core activity is the promotion of the conference and congress market on the relaunched GNTB global website. The top 50 event venues in Germany have been given their own section called Trade fairs and conferences which is available in 12 languages for 20 markets with extensive conference-related content including tourist attractions and active links. This provides an updated, online continuation of the marketing activities initiated as part of the joint theme year in European Travel Commission The European Travel Commission (ETC), founded in 1948, is the umbrella association of Europe s national tourism organisations. It pools the expertise of 34 established national tourist destinations, including Destination Germany, which has been represented on the ETC by the GNTB for over 50 years. The role of the ETC is to promote Europe globally as a tourism brand. The ETC also serves as a forum in which national tourism organisations can work out solutions for pressing strategic issues relating to European tourism. The ETC uses a three-pronged approach of e-marketing, market and cultural intelligence and operational excellence, and is active in the following three areas: research and development human resources sustainable development. 29

30 3. INTERNATIONAL SALES AND MARKETING The ETC fulfils its function as a central marketing organisation through its three core activities of market research, IT and internet-based operations within the new media group and joint marketing initiatives undertaken by the operation groups (primarily in the USA). Market research comprises three main areas: The economic importance of tourism is increasingly researched at the international level within the context of Tourism Satellite Accounts (UNWTO/WTTC/EU). B2B primary research in the major established markets and future growth markets overseas (USA/China/Japan/India etc.). Secondary research in important overseas source markets and aid for new EU member states. In the last three years the European Union has financed the complete restructuring of the web portal at which has been made into an umbrella portal. ETC members post data and statistics about the global use of the internet for travel and tourism at com. The E-business Academy facilitates the internal exchange of IT and internet personnel between ETC members. The web portal at is a shared travel portal for Europe providing information in six languages for consumers in overseas markets. The website has a theme-based structure and was completely overhauled in Deutsches Küstenland e.v. Deutsches Küstenland e.v. (DKL) is a marketing association and an important partner for the GNTB in its international marketing activities. It liaises closely with the GNTB to represent the five north German states of Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Bremen and Hamburg, plus the Hanseatic towns of Rostock and Lübeck in selected international source markets. In conjunction with the GNTB, the DKL engages in promotional and direct marketing, sales, press and PR activities and new media work. In the past few years the DKL has steadily expanded its presence in Switzerland and Austria, substantially raised the profile of north Germany and successfully positioned 30

31 Germany s coastal areas in the market. The joint promotion of north Germany s holiday destinations has significantly increased the number of overnight stays in the region. In 2005, the DKL focused its activities on Italy and the Czech Republic as well as its key markets of Austria and Switzerland and also entered the highpotential Chinese market for the first time. The GNTB and the DKL plan to launch the North Germany brand in China and to increase the number of north Germany packages and tours in the brochures of Chinese tour operators, thereby raising consumer demand. The DKL kicked off the marketing campaign in China in 2005 by producing an image flyer in Chinese. Magic Cities Germany e.v. The members of the Magic Cities Germany e.v. (MC) marketing association are the nine large German cities of Berlin, Cologne, Dresden, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hannover, Munich and Stuttgart. The MC has been promoting these cities abroad for over 50 years and has had its own representative office in Beijing since In 2005 about 47 per cent of all overnight stays in Germany by visitors from the USA were in cities which are members of the MC association. The proportion from Japan was around 48 per cent and from both China and South Korea it was approximately 42 per cent. Consequently, the association is concentrating its efforts on these four markets. The Magic Cities marketing strategy is based on the three main areas of art and culture, lifestyle and entertainment, and conferences and congresses. The theme of shopping, which includes Christmas markets, is promoted on an ongoing basis which is why the Magic Cities play an important role in the GNTB s 2006 FIFA World Cup and shopping themes for Joint activities in 2005 USA/Canada: Destination Germany -roadshows Sales calls by the GNTB s Chicago office to selected tour operators in the Mid-West VEMEX (Visit Europe Media Exchange) in New York Canvassing the travel industry South America: Attendance at ABAV, the leading Brazilian trade fair Canvassing the travel industry South Korea/Japan: Press luncheon on 11 April in Seoul with 20 media representatives Participation in Nations Day at the Expo in Aichi China: Trade fairs: Guangzhou International Travel Fair, International Travel Expo in Hong Kong, China International Travel Mart GNTB workshop (China promotion tour) Press tour in October 2005 on the theme of the 2006 FIFA World Cup taking in four MC cities, including Hamburg, the venue for a football match between the Chinese and German national teams Historic Highlights of Germany The GNTB s close alliance with the Historic Highlights of Germany (HHOG) marketing association is reflected in its intensive support of HHOG and their collaboration in key overseas markets. The HHOG consists of thirteen historical towns which date back at least 700 years and whose townscapes strongly reflect their history. They are particularly important in the city breaks segment, especially with visitors from abroad. HHOG s marketing activities are based on these shared characteristics and others. Its key markets are the USA, Japan, China, the UK and Italy. USA: Destination Germany roadshows in January and October 2005 Fact-finding tours for journalists and representatives of the travel industry to Freiburg, Heidelberg, Koblenz, Lübeck, Münster, Regensburg, Trier, Wiesbaden and Würzburg Addition of the HHOG towns and cities to the market-specific websites Japan: German Travel Week in April 2005, in association with the Germany in Japan 2005/2006 campaign, plus seminars in Seoul, Osaka and Tokyo in collaboration with the UNESCO world heritage sites HHOG packages in the sales guide for the Japanese travel trade Fact-finding tours to member towns for media representatives and agents Advertisements for HHOG in GNTB newsletters China: GNTB Germany roadshow in November 2005 calling at Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xian and Hong Kong Presentation of the historic towns and inclusive package offers in the GNTB s Chinese sales guide Italy: Austria/Germania workshop Press fact-finding tours to the member towns UK: Germany Travel Show in June 2005 in Manchester Fact-finding tours for journalists to the HHOG towns. 31

32 3. INTERNATIONAL SALES AND MARKETING The GNTB also featured the historical towns as attractive destinations at the Germany Travel Mart in Wiesbaden in May when the HHOG produced a special type of presentation and seminar in the form of a play with historical figures from the towns. A CD of the seminar is now available and is being used at workshops all over the world. UNESCO world heritage sites in Germany As a member of the executive board of the association of UNESCO world heritage sites, based in Quedlinburg, the GNTB is responsible for integrating the 31 UNESCO world heritage sites more closely into its communication and marketing activities. The cultural and natural monuments in Germany selected by UNESCO are an integral part of the core information provided by the GNTB throughout the world for example on the map of Germany, on the internet portal and in the e-book which is published in 27 languages. They are supplemented with market-specific activities such as a UNESCO flyer produced specially for the Chinese market. In 2005 the GNTB and UNESCO world heritage sites stepped up their joint marketing activities in the USA and also focused on the Swiss market. 3.6 THE INTERNET AND EXTRANET The GNTB is gearing its marketing activities towards a multi-channelling strategy, using the internet as a major sales channel for its comprehensive range of communications. The interlinked resources range from the website itself at to e-newsletters with market-specific content and online training courses. There is a cross-media mirroring of design and aesthetics between traditional media such as brochures, flyers and newspaper ads, and the internet activities. The GNTB, with a total of 30 websites two main portals in German and English, 23 market-specific websites, four extranets and a picture database is a market leader in the provision of online information about Germany as a travel destination. The strategy has proved to be successful with up to 2.5 million hits a month in Overall, more than 25 million users throughout the world visited the websites during the year. Since 2005, the GNTB has opted increasingly for active promotion of its websites and has invested in resources such as conventional search engine advertising to generate more traffic on its various websites. Germany website with comprehensive information The internet plays a central role in the GNTB s marketing activities. The GNTB website at and provides a wide range of information about Germany as a travel destination, as well as examples of pre-bookable packages and links to partner products. An impressive database of about 1,200 travel deals offered by regional tourism organisations, the tour operators TUI, Neckermann, DERTOUR and AMEROPA, and Deutsche Bahn forms a useful resource for planning a holiday to Germany. In 2005 the GNTB prepared to completely relaunch its website. It now has more pictures and is laid out in clear sections. The Destination Germany section introduces the top 50 destinations in various categories. The Culture & Events and Nature, Activity, Recreation sections correspond to the GNTB s two marketing product lines. Under Info Center users can find practical help for planning a trip, such as 360-degree panoramic pictures, videos of Germany, weather information, a route planner and currency converter. The About Us section contains information about the GNTB. New sections for young people and families In the spring of 2005 the GNTB comprehensively redesigned the Germany for young people and Germany for families sections of its website. It has launched a game on its website to attract young travellers featuring aspects of Germany as a travel destination for young people. In May the content of the Germany for families section was revised. New topics including Vacation on the waterside, Scenic routes, Travelling by train and Accommodation were introduced with appropriate inclusive packages. Users will also discover new information on theme parks, zoos, child-friendly museums, fun pools and nature reserves. The GNTB has updated the family sections on its German and English portals and market-specific websites in English, French, Dutch, Spanish, Polish, Danish and Italian. Top 50 travel destinations in Germany The GNTB continued to press ahead with the implementation of its Top 50 project in The project showcases Germany s top attractions for visitors. Content for the 16 federal states and information on the top 50 destinations in the regions, cities and scenic routes categories, selected in conjunction with the GNTB s partners, was added to the website in When the Germany portal was relaunched in 2006, further content was added for the categories trade fairs and conference venues, shopping tips, spa and health resorts, events and places of interest. The core content is being translated in the form of an interactive travel guide into twelve languages (Chinese, Danish, German, English, French, Italian, Japanese, Dutch, Polish, Swedish, Spanish and Czech) and included on 20 websites. At the beginning of 2006 it amounted to around 23,000 A4 pages of content, or 43,200,000 characters. Looking forward to future developments online, the GNTB has already prepared for the launch of the.travel domains in 2006 by securing the address and translations of the domain name in all relevant languages. 32

33 Content offensive by the GNTB: TOP 50 concept 16 Federal states 50 Cities 50 Holiday regions 50 Scenic routes 50 Spa resorts 50 Events 50 Trade fairs and conference venues 50 Places of interest 50 Shopping tips Übersetzung fehlt marketing: roll-out of a new newsletter system In 2005, the GNTB also developed another new online customer communication tool: an HTML-format newsletter with up-to-theminute information and attractive pictures encouraging visitors to travel to Germany. It is already available for download in a variety of international source markets, including Denmark, France, the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and the USA. Extranet with useful extras for partners The GNTB website at net provides the GNTB s partners from the German and international travel industries with comprehensive information such as details of sales guides (particularly Booking Germany ), trade fair participation, offers of cooperation, the Germany Travel Mart (GTM), current trade fair and workshop activities, and the content and destinations of fact-finding tours. Extranet users who are interested in the GNTB s individual marketing departments can access details about them together with contact names and photos. There is also information on the GNTB s complete range of marketing activities and product lines under About us/gntb Marketing. 3.7 SALES AND MARKETING One of the foundations of the GNTB s multiplier strategy is to recruit tour operators and travel agencies in all markets as sales partners. This involves promoting the products and services of all of Germany s regions at trade fairs and workshops and the use of a variety of other sales activities. The GNTB also produces sales catalogues for international source markets. Trade fairs and workshops Starting in 2005, the GNTB has been using the new Top 20 concept to promote Destination Germany at trade fairs. Working in collaboration with its partners, the GNTB operates in the most important source markets and high-growth markets, using flagship trade fairs (Top 20) and major regional trade fairs to inform the travel trade about tourism trends and products, to win new customers and new partners and to meet and talk with trade representatives and consumers. Workshops and roadshows are also organised for the B2B sector. This is in line with the desire of the GNTB s German partners to focus on targeted international trade fairs and workshops. Of the 82 trade fairs selected in 2005, 11 were for travel professionals only, 58 were for both trade and the public and 13 were aimed at consumers. The GNTB also used a total of 120 workshops and roadshows to inform travel industry professionals from abroad about Germany s tourism products and services. 33

34 3. INTERNATIONAL SALES AND MARKETING Attendance at trade fairs in Germany ITB 2005, 11 to 15 March in Berlin Germany was the official partner country of the 2005 ITB trade fair. The fair focused on presenting Germany as a cosmopolitan and hospitable nation of culture and sport. The GNTB and its partners the tourism organisations of the 16 federal states, the German Hotel and Restaurant Association (DEHOGA), the Berlin City Association, Berlin s hotels (coordinated by Hotel Inter- Continental Berlin) presented a representative overview of tourism in Germany to an audience of over 3,000 representatives of the international tourism industry and invited guests at the opening evening in the International Congress Centre (ICC). With entertainment from Europa-Park Rust, the biggest theme park in Germany, and the participation of the German Wine Institute and the Bitburg brewery, the evening was an outstanding success. Gerhard Schröder, the former German Chancellor, officially opened the ITB 2005 and was joined on the podium by Klaus Wowereit, Governing Mayor of Berlin, and Francesco Frangialli, General Secretary of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). The host, Johannes B. Kerner, a German TV entertainer and sports pundit, also welcomed Wolfgang Clement, former Federal Minister of Economics and Labour, Klaus Laepple, President of the Federal Association of the German Tourism Industry (BTW) and Fedor H. Radmann, advisor to the Executive Board and Tourism Representative of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee, to the opening evening. In a subsequent discussion, the subject of football was discussed in depth by Otto Schily, ex-federal Minister of the Interior, Lennart Johansson, UEFA president and chairman of the FIFA OC, Franz Beckenbauer, President of the 2006 FIFA World Cup OC, and Oliver Bierhoff, public relations manager of the German national team. During the course of ITB 2005 the GNTB and its partners from the German travel industry, politics and business used the opportunity to draw the attention of the international travel trade to Germany s cities and regions in the run up to the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Franz Beckenbauer launched the global Score for charity campaign at the ITB, a project initiated by the GNTB. The campaign involves a target wall shoot-out competition that tours trade fairs and GNTB events around the world with the aim of raising money for Six villages for 2006, a project run by the SOS-Kinderdörfer charity. Another highlight of the ITB was the discussion panel on the GNTB s Germany stand involving a number of high-profile guests with the aim of promoting the FIFA World Cup Host Cities. Tourism representatives of the host cities and World Cup ambassadors, including German footballing legends Uwe Seeler, Horst Eckel and Bernd Hölzenbein made guest appearances. The GNTB s programme at the ITB also featured a Parliamentary Breakfast on 14 March 2005 which was attended by representatives of the federal government s Tourism Committee, Dr Susanne Kastner, Vice-President of the German parliament, Dr Eckhard Franz, Director-General in the 34

35 ITB 2006: Michael Glos, Federal Minister for Economics and Technology and Dr Friedbert Pflüger, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Defence with Petra Hedorfer, German National Tourist Board, on the GNTB stand. ITB 2006: German Chancellor Dr Angela Merkel visiting the GNTB s stand. Other guests were Ernst Hinsken, Federal Government Commissioner for Tourism (r.) and Ernst Fischer, President of the German Hotel and Restaurant Association. Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology and Ernst Hinsken, then chairman of the Tourism Committee. Topics of discussion included trends in and factors for the success of the German travel industry, the Arab Gulf states as a high-potential source market and Japan against the background of the Germany in Japan 2005/2006 campaign. The members of the committee were also available at a Parliamentary Evening on the same day to discuss tourism-related topics with representatives of Germany s incoming tourism industry. Outlook for 2006 The Parliamentary Breakfast and Parliamentary Evening were also part of the GNTB s programme for the ITB in Amongst others, Marlene Mortler, the new chair of the federal government s Tourism Committee took part in the morning discussion alongside Ernst Hinsken in his new role as Federal Government Commissioner for Tourism. The highlight of ITB 2006 was a visit to the Germany stand by Dr Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor. Petra Hedorfer, Chief Executive Officer of the GNTB, informed her about current factors in the success of Germany s incoming tourism industry. At the end of her visit to the trade fair Dr Merkel delivered her final statement on ITB Michael Glos, Federal Minister for Economics and Technology also held discussions with the GNTB on the Germany stand. ITB 2005: Franz Beckenbauer, President of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee Germany, kicking off the GNTB Score for charity project in support of the SOS-Kinderdörfer Six Villages for 2006 campaign. ITB 2005: (from l. to r.) Dr Eckhard Franz, Director-General of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology; Dr Susanne Kastner, Vice President of the German Bundestag; Petra Hedorfer, German National Tourist Board; Ernst Hinsken, Federal Government Commissioner for Tourism, in his former role as Chairman of the Tourism Committee. 35

36 3. INTERNATIONAL SALES AND MARKETING IMEX 2005, 19 to 21 April in Frankfurt The third IMEX incorporating Meetings made in Germany The Worldwide Exhibition for Incentive Travel, Meetings and Events took place from 19 to 21 April in Frankfurt am Main. Together with the German Convention Bureau (GCB) a strategic IMEX partner and organiser of the Germany stand the GNTB provided visitors with information about the opportunities for trade fairs, congresses and conferences in Germany with particular emphasis on the 2006 FIFA World Cup theme. Germany Travel Mart 2005, 30 April to 3 May in Wiesbaden, Mainz and Frankfurt The Germany Travel Mart (GTM) which is organised each year by the GNTB was hosted jointly in 2005 by Wiesbaden, Mainz and Frankfurt. More than 630 international travel industry buyers from about 45 countries were able to gather information about Germany s tourism products and services from around 370 tourism service providers, including hotels, regional marketing organisations, inbound travel agencies and transport companies. Seminars for overseas buyers provided an overview of the latest trends and marketing themes. The programme of entertainment and other events in Wiesbaden, Mainz and Frankfurt provided plenty of opportunities for participants to meet and talk. In a survey conducted immediately after GTM 2005, German service providers were extremely positive, with 74 per cent very satisfied or satisfied with the fair. Almost all the representatives of the German travel industry (90%) expected further contracts to be signed as a result of contacts made at the GTM. An international press conference and two all-day tours for journalists gave members of the press the opportunity to experience German tourist attractions, particularly those in the Wiesbaden/Mainz/ Frankfurt area. Following the Germany Travel Mart in Wiesbaden the GNTB organised six post-convention tours for the press and international travel trade buyers. The key themes of the tours included the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the German Half-Timbered Houses Route, Family Holidays in Germany, Culinary Delights of the Rhineland and Vibrant Towns and Cities/Nature in North Germany. Rhine River Promotion, 2 to 8 October 2005 In conjunction with its tourism partners in the Rhine-Main and Middle Rhine areas, the GNTB ran a promotional event on the theme of the river Rhine. 40 international tourism buyers from 13 countries attended a GNTB workshop in Wiesbaden featuring the products offered by 31 German hotels, regional marketing organisations and inbound travel agencies. The supporting programme included visits to Wiesbaden, the Rheingau region, Bonn and Düsseldorf as well as a riverboat cruise with an overnight stop along the Upper Middle Rhine Valley (UNESCO World Heritage) from Mainz to Koblenz. Fact-finding tours In 2005, the GNTB together with its many partners including the individual federal states, regions, cities, towns, airlines and the hotel industry, ran a total of 733 factfinding tours, 134 of which were for travel agents with a total of 1,373 participants and 593 tours for 1,556 journalists, including 396 individual tours. In June the GNTB ran 19 fact-finding tours about the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup Germany, giving around 100 international journalists and 36

37 travel trade professionals from 15 different GNTB source markets the opportunity to tour the FIFA World Cup stadiums a year before the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The GNTB s programme of fact-finding tours includes seminar tours run in conjunction with the German Seminar for Tourism, Berlin. These tours are a premium product and were made available in the Polish, Russian, Slovenian, Hungarian and US markets in Important sales tools for the travel industry Booking Germany The Booking Germany sales guide is a central sales tool for the international travel industry. It comprises 600 packages offered by more than 300 partner organisations and provides important decisionmaking criteria for buyers all over the world. In addition to specific pre-bookable modules and inclusive packages, it provides extensive information about a large number of services and trends as well as practical travel information. It has a print run of 15,000 copies and is also available in a digital version on CD which is interactive and contains links to a range of search functions. All the packages have links enabling direct access to the internet, thus ensuring that the offers are always up-to-date GNTB Sales Kit The GNTB offers its partners a wide range of opportunities to cooperate in its sales and marketing activities which form a platform for partners in the German tourism industry to showcase their products and services for trade buyers and consumers. The manual provides information about opportunities for cooperating with the GNTB at trade fairs, workshops and roadshows, in advertising, publications, factfinding tours, new media and internet activities, mailshots, press work and public relations. The GNTB Sales Kit is published twice a year alongside the established catalogues, GNTB Trade Fair and Workshop Planner and Marketing Information. 37

38 3. INTERNATIONAL SALES AND MARKETING 3.8 SALES AND MARKETING IN THE GNTB s INTERNATIONAL SOURCE MARKETS Helsinki Stockholm Oslo Copenhagen Frankfurt Head Office Los Angeles Chicago Toronto New York London Amsterdam Brussels Paris Madrid Zurich Milan Regional Management Americas/Israel Regional Management North West Europe Regional Management South West Europe Regional Management South East Europe Regional Management North East Europe Regional Management Asia/Australasia/South Africa Market development by Regional Management (limited activities in certain countries) São Paulo Foreign Representative Office Sales Marketing Agency 38

39 Warsaw Prague Bratislava Moscow Budapest Ljubljana Vienna Beijing Tokyo Jaffa Dubai New Delhi Hong Kong Johannesburg Sydney 39

40 3. INTERNATIONAL SALES AND MARKETING REGIONAL MANAGEMENT NORTH WEST EUROPE Overnight stays Overnight stays 2005 Change 04/05 in % PIT Population* 2 in %* 1 (million) North West Europe 9,574,762 14,859, Netherlands 5,055,629 8,428, UK and Ireland 2,952,366 3,970, Belgium 1,346,954 2,079, Luxembourg 219, , excl. camping * 1 PIT = Propensity for international travel (2005) * 2 carried forward/estimated for 2005 Source: Federal Statistical Office 2006 London Brussels Amsterdam Z Frankfurt Head Office 40

41 REGIONAL MANAGEMENT NORTH WEST EUROPE: ASSESSMENT OF THE MARKET With the volume of overnight stays from the UK, Netherlands and Belgium exceeding 15 million for the first time, this region forms the backbone of the German incoming tourism industry. By 2015 the level of overnight stays may even rise as far as 18 million. The Netherlands remains the most important source market for travel to Germany with a share of 17.5 per cent of all foreign visitors and generates the highest tourism revenues of around D 2.8 billion. With a 15 per cent share of all travel, Germany is the second most popular travel destination for the Dutch after France. Germany represents value for money and is easily accessible from the Netherlands, so it offers further prospects for growth as a source market. Most Dutch visitors come to Germany on holiday (85 % of all travel to Germany). Private visits to friends and relatives account for 7 per cent of visits to Germany, and 8 per cent of travel from the Netherlands to Germany is for business. The number of overnight stays by visitors from the Netherlands increased in 2005 by 5.1 per cent to just under 8.5 million. The camping/caravanning segment alone accounted for more than two million overnight stays. In 2005 the Dutch accounted for 64 per cent of all holidaymakers from abroad who took a camping holiday in Germany. The number of overnight stays in Germany by visitors from the United Kingdom increased by 5.4 per cent to just under 4 million in After the Netherlands and the USA, the United Kingdom is the third most important source market for travel to Germany, accounting for 8.2 per cent of all overnight stays and generating revenues of D 1.45 billion. Germany has a four per cent share of the British outbound travel market. Holiday travel to Germany accounts for 28 per cent of travel, followed by the business travel segment with 27 per cent. Visits by friends and family form the largest proportion, i.e. 46 per cent of travel to Germany from the UK. The wide range of low-fare flights available from the United Kingdom has boosted this market further, creating positive impetus for travel to Germany. The number of overnight stays by visitors from Belgium increased in 2005 by 7.1 per cent to more than 2 million, making Belgium the 6th largest source market after Austria and France. By far the majority of those travelling from Belgium to Germany were coming on holiday (66 %). Another 15 per cent were visiting family and friends, while business travel accounted for 19 per cent of trips from Belgium to Germany. With a market share of ten per cent, Germany is the Belgians thirdfavourite destination. 41

42 3. INTERNATIONAL SALES AND MARKETING REGIONAL MANAGEMENT NORTH WEST EUROPE Netherlands United Kingdom and Ireland Belgium/Luxembourg Market-specific themes House of Orange Route, Mini-breaks Garden culture, Gayfriendly Germany Mini-breaks SALES AND MARKETING NORTH WEST EUROPE Netherlands United Kingdom and Ireland Belgium/Luxembourg Trade fairs (affiliates) Vakantiebeurs, Utrecht (93) 50+ Beurs & Festival, Utrecht (6) GNTB-workshops (affiliates) ReisMarkt Duitsland, Amsterdam (50) WTM, London (57) Destinations Show, London (11) Holiday World Experience, Dublin (6) Germany Travel Show, Manchester (68) Other partner workshops Tours for travel agents Number Participants (total) Internationaal Vakantiesalon, Antwerp (13) Internationaal Euregio Vakantiesalon, Hasselt (5) Travel! 5-country workshop, Brussels (26) Workshop Luxemburg (14) SELECTED SALES AND MARKETING ACTIVITIES Netherlands The GNTB s largest trade fair stand in the world was at the Vakantiebeurs tourism fair in Utrecht in January A total of 93 German tourism providers displayed their goods and services on a stand covering an area of 1,800 m 2 at the show, which was attended by about 138,000 Dutch trade professionals and consumers. The Germany stand focused on the key themes for 2005: Vibrant Towns and Cities, Family Holidays in Germany and the 2006 FIFA World Cup. On 1 January 2005, the House of Orange Route association launched its completely revamped websites at and coordinated by the GNTB Netherlands. The websites provide a wealth of information about travel and holidays in the eight Dutch and 20 German towns and regions with historical connections to the royal House of Orange. Each House of Orange Route partner has its own web page detailing its amenities and events. There are also sections covering local places of interest, descriptions of the surrounding area and activity holidays plus contact details of the local tourist information offices and details of their services. At the same time, the GNTB launched an extensive publicity campaign to support this key, marketspecific theme in the Netherlands and to increase the numbers of visitors to the website. Using the internet as a key communications tool in its marketing mix, the GNTB Netherlands office made use of a range of advertising methods to publicise its market-specific website in March, June and September. Its activities centred on a major advertising campaign on trucks and banner adverts with partners such as ANWB, the Dutch motoring organisation, as well as competitions and radio commercials. Belgium/Luxembourg Together with other European countries, GNTB Belgium was present at the European institutions public open day on 30 April 2005 in Brussels. As one of the exhibitors in the EU district, the GNTB focused on the 2006 FIFA World Cup, one of its core themes for the year. The fact that the event attracted 100,000 visitors was a reflection of its success. The GNTB promoted holidays in Germany at the annual Germany Workshop in Luxembourg, together with 14 German affiliates including the Saxony tourism marketing company, Flair Hotels and the GNTB-member Maritim Hotels. With over 30 exhibitors, most of the Luxem- 42

43 COMMUNICATIONS NORTH WEST EUROPE Netherlands United Kingdom and Ireland Belgium/Luxembourg Tours for journalists Number of group tours Participants N. of individual tours Press conferences Number Participants (total) Advertising materials Publication Vakantie Reismagazine Duitsland, media cooperation Reismagazine Duitsland, flyer sales activities, package brochure Bi-monthly e-newsletter Germany Travel News, Classic Gardens of Germany flyer Mini-breaks in Germany Media advertising Print campaign and inserts for the theme Family Holdidays, magazine and radio advertising for the House of Orange Route Advertising campaign for Gay friendly Germany and also for the theme Gardens etc. in BBC Gardeners World and the Mail on Sunday, advertising campaign in trade magazines for the 2006 FIFA World Cup Newspaper advertising campaign for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, trade press campaign on the subject of rail travel bourg press and travel industry used the opportunity to find out about the latest deals on offer in Germany. United Kingdom The Germany Travel Show organised by the GNTB s UK office on 8 June 2005 was dominated by the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Attended by 80 UK travel trade professionals and about 60 German exhibitors, it took place at the Old Trafford football stadium in Manchester. This was the first time the GNTB had run a workshop outside London and it enabled more buyers from northern England to attend. On 1 September GNTB UK launched its new GERMANY FACES campaign in the UK. Planned to last a year, the campaign revolves around the website at where there are special launch offers from ten partners. Prospective visitors can easily book the packages online on the partners websites. The GNTB is using online and print advertising to accompany the internet platform and is involved in press and PR work. In late 2005 the GNTB initiated a poster campaign to advertise the 2006 FIFA World Cup taking place from 9 June to 9 July 2006, and managed to sign up Sir Geoff Hurst to appear in it. He became a national hero after scoring three goals in the 1966 World Cup final against Germany, including the controversial third goal, probably the most disputed in the history of football, which secured the World Cup for England for the first, and so far, the only time. A number of posters with humorous, selfmocking slogans were used on the London underground system to promote Germany as a travel destination. The GNTB s stand at the World Travel Mart (WTM) in London was also all about football in Six months before the kickoff, UK travel trade professionals attending the fair were able to familiarise themselves with the great event and the wealth of cultural offerings and inclusive packages on offer during the World Cup. Football fever also broke out at the international target wall shoot-out: in the picture Udo Grebe, manager of the GNTB s UK office (2nd from the right) welcomes Chin Le (right), the tourism minister of Trinidad & Tobago, and his delegation. The Caribbean state was celebrating qualifying for the World Cup finals for the first time ever. 43

44 3. INTERNATIONAL SALES AND MARKETING REGIONAL MANAGEMENT NORTH EAST EUROPE Overnight stays Overnight stays 2005 Change 04/05 in % PIT Population* 2 in %* 1 (million) North East Europe/Russia 4,554,910 6,253, Denmark 1,063,488 1,773, Sweden 953,851 1,402, Norway 398, , Finland 267, , Poland 927, , Russia 764, , excl. camping * 1 PIT = Propensity for international travel (2005) * 2 carried forward/estimated for 2005 Source: Federal Statistical Office 2006 Oslo Stockholm Helsinki Moscow Copenhagen Warsaw Z Frankfurt Head Office 44

45 REGIONAL MANAGEMENT NORTH EAST EUROPE ASSESSMENT OF THE MARKET Provided that the prosperity of north-east Europe and Russia continues to rise, the GNTB expects the number of overnight stays in Germany by visitors from the region in establishments with nine beds or more, excluding campsites, to increase over the medium term to around seven million. The number of overnight stays by Danish visitors to Germany rose by 12.1 per cent to more than 1.7 million in With a market share of 21 per cent, Germany is the Danes favourite international destination. The primary reason for travelling from Denmark to Germany in 2005 was for a holiday (72 %). Only 13 per cent of visits to Germany by Danes were to see friends and family, while 15 per cent were for business purposes. In the camping segment Denmark is the second most important source market after the Netherlands with a share of 6.5 per cent of all overnight stays at campsites. In the Swedish market too, Germany is the most popular foreign destination overall with a 14 per cent share of all travel and the second most popular for holidays with a 12 per cent share of holiday travel. The number of overnight stays by Swedish visitors in Germany rose in 2005 by 2.1 per cent to 1.4 million. Most of the travel to Germany by visitors from Sweden is for holidays (46%). 30 per cent of visits were to see friends and family and 24 per cent of travel from Sweden to Germany was for business purposes. In 2005, the number of overnight stays in Germany by visitors from Norway increased by 7.8 per cent to more than 500,000. In the same period the number of overnight stays by visitors from Finland rose by 4.8 per cent to more than 400,000. Germany had a six per cent share of the Finnish market for all types of travel, making Germany the fourth most popular outbound destination for Finns. In 2005, the number of overnight stays by Polish visitors increased by 2.4 per cent to around 1 million. Germany is the top outbound destination in Poland, with a 35 per cent share of all trips. Almost half of all visits to Germany by Poles (46%) were for a holiday. 21 per cent of trips to Germany from Poland were to visit friends and family, while a further 34 per cent were for business. In 2005, the number of overnight stays by Russian visitors in Germany rose by 4.8per cent to more than Holiday trips account for most of the travel to Germany by visitors from Russia (56%). Visiting family and friends accounts for a further 12 per cent, while 33 per cent of Russian travel to Germany is for business. With a six per cent share of all travel, Germany is the fifth most popular travel destination for Russians. 45

46 3. INTERNATIONAL SALES AND MARKETING REGIONAL MANAGEMENT NORTH EAST EUROPE Denmark, Baltic States, Iceland Sweden Norway Finland Poland Russia Market-specific themes Young people Federal Garden Show 2005, golf Active holidays Active holidays Small budgets, theme parks, active holidays Winter holidays, theme parks, health and fitness holidays SALES AND MARKETING NORTH EAST EUROPE Denmark, Baltic States, Iceland Sweden Norway Finland Poland Russia Trade fairs (affiliates) FERIE, Copenhagen TUR, Gothenburg (16) (100) Ferie for alle, Herning (9) Reiseliv, Oslo (14) MATKA, Helsinki (18) TTW, Warsaw (6) MITT, Moscow (29) GNTB workshops North East Europe Workshop, Norway (75)* (affiliates) Other partner workshops Tours for travel agents Number Participants (total) * jointly with the Austrian organisation Österreich Werbung (ÖW) SELECTED SALES AND MARKETING ACTIVITIES In 2005 for the first time, the GNTB broadened the scope of its established North Europe Workshop to include all the markets covered by the sales and marketing activities of its North East Europe regional management team. In all, 75 buyers for tour operators and travel agencies and journalists from Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland and Russia attended the event where 75 suppliers displayed their goods and services. The workshop was organised by the GNTB together with Österreich Werbung and took place from 13 to 15 September on a Hurtigruten (Norwegian Coastal Voyages) ship in Norway. adverts and GoCard postcards to publicise travel, accommodation and events in Germany. One specially-designed GoCard was particularly popular with youngsters in Denmark. Featuring a traditional Danish song but with German words, it became a hit in the cafés of Copenhagen just hours after the campaign was launched. Sweden During TUR 2005, northern Europe s foremost travel trade fair, about 300 visitors to the Nya Ullevi football stadium in Gothenburg were able to test out their football skills at a penalty shoot-out against the popular football stars Ronnie Hellström and Thomas Ravelli as part of the traditional Germany evening on 17 March Trade fair visitors could demonstrate their table footballing prowess playing exciting matches with Swedish soccer stars on the GNTB s stand. Denmark/Baltic States In the late summer of 2005, the GNTB launched a new campaign in neighbouring Denmark to promote modern-day Germany to young people. Under the title Germany should be seen and not heard ( Tyskland skal ses. Ikke høres ) the campaign uses witty, ironic radio commercials, internet TUR 2005 in Gothenburg: (from l. to r.) Bernd Hässler, manager of the GNTB s North East Europe regional management office; Bernd Hölzenbein, FIFA World Cup Ambassador for Frankfurt am Main; Knut Hänschke, Head of Regional Management and Destination Management, GNTB; Iris Müller, manager of GNTB Sweden; Thomas Ravelli, former Swedish national team goalkeeper; Ralf Edström, former Sweden player; Ronnie Hellström, former goalkeeper for 1. FC Kaiserslautern; Benno Magnusson, former 1. FC Kaiserslautern und Hertha BSC Berlin player. 46

47 COMMUNICATIONS NORTH EAST EUROPE Denmark, Baltic States, Iceland Sweden Norway Finland Poland Russia Tours for journalists Number of group tours Participants N. of individual tours Press conferences Number Participants (total) Advertising materials Sales brochure: We re going to Germany Golf Guide - Sales brochure: Going to Germany when and why Flyer Theme Parks - Media advertising GoCard youth campaign, magazine advertising for the theme 45+, wellness adverts in major newspapers Car travel supplement in special-interest magazine, collaboration with StenaLine Family holidays in winter Germany supplement in major newspaper Aftenposten Direct mailing with Family advertising Finnlines/Nordic supplements and Ferrycenter and campaigns on the Blue 1, two-week subjects of cycling radio series on holidays and theme Classic FM for the parks in generalinterest magazines themes Berlin/ Culture, Mozart Year and Christmas Markets Advertising campaign in the leading tourism industry trade magazine Tourbusiness Finland GNTB Helsinki in collaboration with Sächs i- sche Staatsbäder GmbH invited six Finnish journalists to the spa towns of Bad Elster and Bad Brambach in the Vogtland region of Saxony where they enjoyed exploring the resorts, which are popular with Finnish visitors, and trying out their wide range of health and fitness facilities. Poland In September 2005, the GNTB and six affiliates enjoyed considerable success at the 13th TT Warsaw Tour & Travel, one of the largest tourism trade fairs in eastern Europe. The press conference organised by the GNTB on the theme of Destination Germany and the 2006 FIFA World Cup generated huge interest, helped by the presence of two former professional footballers Bernd Hölzenbein and Jan Tomaszewski. Russia Lufthansa s Profi Talk seminar in Almaty, Kazakhstan has become a firm fixture in GNTB Russia s marketing programme. The GNTB presentation for 2005 centred on the theme of Medical Tourism in Germany and was delivered in collaboration with the Nuremberg Clinic. ProfiTalk seminar in Almaty: (from l. to r.) Dirk Grossmann, manager of Lufthansa, Almaty; Irina Rybalko, Lufthansa, Almaty; Dr Irina Keyko, manager of GNTB Russia; Dr Viktor Bujanovskyi, Nuremberg Clinic and two employees of Lufthansa, Almaty. 47

48 3. INTERNATIONAL SALES AND MARKETING REGIONAL MANAGEMENT SOUTH WEST EUROPE Overnight stays Overnight stays 2005 Change 04/05 in % PIT Population* 2 in %* 1 (million) South West Europe 5,520,699 9,413, Switzerland 1,664,793 3,223, Italy 1,656,995 2,681, France 1,557,746 2,047, Spain 641,165 1,460, excl. camping * 1 PIT = Propensity for international travel (2005) * 2 carried forward/estimated for 2005 Source: Federal Statistical Office 2006 Paris Z Frankfurt Head Office Zurich Milan Madrid 48

49 REGIONAL MANAGEMENT SOUTH WEST EUROPE: ASSESSMENT OF THE MARKET As in previous years, the four established south-west European markets of Switzerland, France, Italy and Spain hold out the prospect of further growth, with the number of overnight stays rising to a possible total of 13 million by the year In 2005, the four source markets achieved an aggregate of about 9.6 million overnight stays, which represents a rise of 9.5 per cent on the previous year. Germany is the most popular destination for the Swiss market, with a 24 per cent share of all travel. The Swiss are among the keenest international travellers, with almost 82 per cent of the population travelling outside Switzerland. The number of overnight stays by visitors to Germany from Switzerland has been growing for a number of years and rose by 10.2 per cent in 2005 to a figure of 3.2 million, ranking Switzerland as the fourth most important source market for Germany and the second largest in revenue terms yielding foreign currency receipts of D 2.8 billion. 58 per cent of all visits to Germany from Switzerland were for a holiday. 17 per cent of Swiss visitors to Germany are visiting friends and family, while the remaining 25 per cent are travelling on business. France ranks eighth on the list of Germany s most important source markets, and is thus also an important volume market. The number of overnight stays by visitors to Germany from France rose in 2005 by 4.2 per cent to just over two million, generating revenue of about D 2.1 billion. 46 per cent of French visitors to Germany came on holiday, while 23 per cent were visiting friends and family. Business trips account for 31 per cent of travel from France. Germany as a travel destination has a five per cent share of the French market and is ranked fourth among French outbound destinations. The number of overnight stays in Germany by visitors from Italy increased by 8.3 per cent to around 2.7 million. Italian visitors to the 2005 World Youth Day in Cologne made up the largest international contingent at the festival. Germany is the third most popular destination for Italian travellers with a total market share of nine per cent. The primary reason for travelling to Germany from Italy in 2005 was for a holiday (54 % of all visits to Germany). 18 per cent of visits were to see friends and family. Business trips accounted for 28 per cent of travel from Italy to Germany. The number of overnight stays by visitors to Germany from Spain has been rocketing in recent years and in 2005 increased by a further 20.1 per cent to just under 1.5 million, additionally boosted by the attraction of low-cost flights. Germany had an eight per cent share of the Spanish outbound market for all types of travel, putting it in fifth place. Holiday travel accounted for the lion s share of travel by Spaniards to Germany (63%). 21 per cent of Spanish visitors to Germany come on business, while only 16 per cent of visits were to see friends and family. 49

50 3. INTERNATIONAL SALES AND MARKETING REGIONAL MANAGEMENT SOUTH WEST EUROPE Spain Switzerland Italy France Market-specific themes Language tours, wellness Active holidays, wellness New Year s Eve and carnival, wellness Federal Garden Show Munich, language tours, wellness SALES AND MARKETING SOUTH WEST EUROPE Spain Switzerland Italy France Trade fairs (affiliates) GNTB-workshops (affiliates) FITUR, Madrid (19) SITC, Barcelona (7) TCV, Valencia (5) Alemania/Austria Workshop (27)* FESPO, Zurich (43) Ferienmesse Berne (15) Ferienmesse St. Gallen (23) TTW Montreux (5) BIT, Milan (27) MIT International, Paris (20) SITV, Colmar (5) Austria Germania Workshop (30)* Other partner workshops Tours for travel agents Number Participants (total) * jointly with the Austrian organisation Österreich Werbung (ÖW) SELECTED SALES AND MARKETING ACTIVITIES Spain and Portugal In January 2005, the GNTB promoted Germany as a travel destination at FITUR in Madrid, the second-largest tourism trade fair in the world and the largest on the Iberian peninsula, the most important gateway to Europe for the Latin American market. As well as Lufthansa, the GNTB s partners at the fair were 18 German hotels, tourism organisations, airlines, inbound travel agents and the Goethe Institute. Visitors to FITUR were especially interested in city breaks and tours, holidays in the countryside and art and culture. The GNTB and Österreich Werbung organised their second Alemania/Austria workshop which proved to be a great success. This year Lisbon was added to Barcelona and Madrid as a third stop on the workshop s tour route. The roadshow keeps buyers and journalists up-to-date on the latest products and services in Germany s incoming tourism industry. The presentations focused on the GNTB s key themes for 2006: the 2006 FIFA World Cup and shopping. More than 600 buyers representing the top Spanish and Portuguese tour operators and travel agencies took part in the three-day workshop. Language holidays in Germany continue to be extremely popular in Spain. The GNTB caters to this huge demand with its guide, Learn German in Germany 2005/2006, which has mainly been distributed via GNTB Spain s call centre and direct mailshots since summer 2005, but is also available on the internet as a PDF document. Switzerland Thuringia was the centrepiece of the GNTB s established Germany Infotainment festival in Zurich s main railway station in February. As well as a presentation on the spacious Germany stand, a special Erfurt Railways train from Thuringia was driven into the station. To supplement its consumer advertising, the GNTB also hosted a reception for the press and employees of its main travel industry partners in Zurich. As a result of the GNTB s close cooperation with the Swiss tour operator railtour suisse, and of growing demand for travel to Germany in the Swiss market, the 130-page Germany brochure now has twice as many pages as it did in The brochure is arranged according to theme and includes Vibrant Towns and Cities and Family Holidays in Germany, the themes for The 2005 brochure is the fourth Germanyonly edition distributed by the tour operator via its network of about 1,500 sales offices, the strongest distribution network for Germany-related products in Switzerland. Up to the end of December GNTB Switzerland carried out a major advertising 50

51 COMMUNICATIONS SOUTH WEST EUROPE Spain Switzerland Italy France Tours for journalists Number of group tours Participants N. of individual tours Press conferences Number Participants (total) Advertising materials Language tour guide, wellness brochure Wellness brochure LH brochure Media advertising Campaign for the theme Vibrant Towns and Cities with Lufthansa and online travel agents Muchoviaje.com, edreams and viajar.com (trade advert and Germany video in Muchoviaje media, metro advertising in Barcelona and Madrid, banner advertising), DVD presentation at Repsol/Campsa petrol stations, adverts and travel competition at the German film festival Customer magazine (4 times a year), wellness brochure, several sales flyers with partners (DB, Air Berlin) Poster advertising on buses and trams in Zurich, special Germany supplement in trade magazine Travel Inside, advertising campaign on woldwide Swiss flights Campaign with adverts and inserts on the theme of Christmas markets in newspapers, advertising campaign for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in five trade media outlets Media collaborations Escapades toniques with Marie Claire, Escapades culturelles with Nouvel Observateur, language tour guide Vacances Linguistiques, wellness brochure Print campaign in the four most important trade magazines for the themes 2006 FIFA World Cup, FootballGlobe Germany, Towns and Cities workshop and Shopping, adverts for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Le Quotidien du Tourisme, Nouvel Observateur and the economics magazine Challenge, football adverts in sports magazines Jours de stade and Contact campaign on public transport in Zurich and Berne to promote German holiday regions. Italy This year the GNTB has leveraged synergies with neighbouring Austria in the Italian market by organising the first workshop tour from Naples to Milan via Rome in conjunction with Österreich Werbung. The GNTB and its partners were able to meet more than 500 key tourism players on the tour and inform them about the GNTB s future marketing themes and the wide range of products and services available in Germany. In a country with such a strong footballing tradition, the 2006 FIFA World Cup was of particular interest The GNTB s long-standing alliance with Lufthansa again led to joint, market-specific campaigns in 2005, such as the Germania d Inverno sales brochure, produced in conjunction with Lufthansa and selected tour operators that offer tours to Germany. France At the beginning of 2005 GNTB France published the latest edition of its language holiday guide Parlez vous Deutsch? Vacances Linguistiques The publication features around 70 language schools and youth travel specialists in France who include trips to Germany in their brochures. Language holidays and courses for adults are included, as well as exchange programmes, Franco-German youth meetings and au-pair agencies. The GNTB distributes the catalogue via its call centre, public trade fairs, direct mailshots, key industry players, the Deutsch Mobil campaign run by the five cultural institutes in France and German consulates general. 250 guests from the travel industry, business and the press attended a reception in Paris to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Lufthansa at which Petra Hedorfer, Chief Executive Officer of the GNTB, spoke about the excellent progress made in promoting Germany as a travel destination in the French market. The outstanding cooperation between the GNTB and Lufthansa in France also merited a special mention. They have been able to use their joint annual business plans to focus their marketing activities efficiently on specific target groups and to derive the maximum benefit from the synergies resulting from such close coordination. In early September 2005 the GNTB published the fifth edition of its successful Escapades culturelles supplement aimed at the over 50s. 60,000 copies of the insert were printed and the majority were distributed in the leading news magazine Le Nouvel Observateur. For the first time there are details of a link to a cultural theme on the GNTB s French-language website focusing on architecture in Germany. Other topics covered by the insert are nature and winter sports, festivals, towns and cities, food and drink and wellness. 51

52 3. INTERNATIONAL SALES AND MARKETING REGIONAL MANAGEMENT SOUTH EAST EUROPE Overnight stays Overnight stays 2005 Change 04/05 in % PIT Population* 2 in %* 1 (million) South East Europe 2,131,683 3,044, Austria 1,286,725 2,053, Czech Republic 474, , Hungary 370, , Slovenia No fig. avail. No fig. avail. No fig. avail Slovakia No fig. avail. No fig. avail. No fig. avail excl. camping * 1 PIT = Propensity for international travel (2005) * 2 carried forward/estimated for 2005 Source: Federal Statistical Office 2006 Frankfurt Head Office Z Prague Bratislava Vienna Budapest Ljubljana 52

53 REGIONAL MANAGEMENT SOUTH EAST EUROPE: ASSESSMENT OF THE MARKET The joint development and marketing of cross-border scenic and cultural regions has opened up new opportunities for Germany s incoming tourism industry from south-east Europe. Germany remains the second most popular foreign destination for Austrians, with a 20 per cent share of all travel. The number of overnight stays by visitors from Austria increased in 2005 by 8.2 per cent to just over 2 million. 41 per cent of all visits to Germany from Austria were for a holiday, 32 per cent of visits were to see friends and family, whilst 27 per cent of the travel to Germany from Austria was for business purposes. In 2005, the number of overnight stays in Germany by visitors from the Czech Republic rose by 4.8 per cent to more than 580,000. Germany has a 19 per cent share of the Czech travel market, making Germany the most popular outbound destination for Czechs. The primary reason for travelling to Germany from the Czech Republic in 2005 was for business (55 % of all visits to Germany). 40 per cent of travel was for a holiday, while visiting friends and family accounted for a further five per cent. The number of overnight stays by visitors from Hungary (413,000) decreased slightly by 0.6 per cent in With a market share of ten per cent, Germany is the Hungarians fourth-favourite destination. In 2005, 42 per cent of all visits to Germany from Hungary were for a holiday, visits to friends and family accounted for 44 per cent, while business travel accounted for just 14 per cent. 40 per cent of travel to Germany from Slovakia in 2005 was for business, 19 per cent was for a holiday and 41 per cent was to see friends and family. Germany as a travel destination has a seven per cent share of all travel from the Slovakian market and is ranked sixth on the list of outbound destinations for Slovaks. Holiday trips account for most of the travel to Germany by visitors from Slovenia (61%), 23 per cent of travel to Germany by Slovenians is for business, while visits to friends and family account for a further 16 per cent. In Slovenia, Germany is the third most popular outbound destination, with an eleven per cent share of all trips. PR and trade activities for Turkey and Greece, the other source markets in this region, have been covered jointly by the GNTB s head office and the Berlin tourist office since

54 3. INTERNATIONAL SALES AND MARKETING REGIONAL MANAGEMENT SOUTH EAST EUROPE Austria Czech Republic Hungary Slovakia Slovenia, rest of south Europe Market-specific themes Theme parks, cycling Active holidays, winter sports Castles and palaces, walking, cycling Cycling Theme parks SALES AND MARKETING SOUTH EAST EUROPE Austria Czech Republic Hungary Slovakia Slovenia, rest of south Europe Turkey Trade fairs (affiliates) FERIEN, Vienna 2005 (21) Ferienmesse, Salzburg (7) Holiday World, Prague (12) Utazás, Budapest (9) GNTB-workshops (affiliates) German Travel Fair, Vienna (52) Roadshow Budapest- Prague (22) Roadshow Budapest Prague (22) Other partner workshops Tours for travel agents - Number Participants (total) SELECTED SALES AND MARKETING ACTIVITIES Austria Together with over 20 partners from the German travel industry, the GNTB presented Destination Germany at the Ferien travel fair in Vienna in January 2005, Austria s flagship travel fair open to the public. In 2005 the fair in Austria s largest conurbation set another record for visitor numbers with more than 134,000 visitors, or eleven per cent more than in the previous year. The Treffpunkt Deutschland customer magazine was published quarterly in It is produced by GNTB Austria and distributed in Switzerland as well as Austria. It included features about family holidays, health and fitness and active holidays. the Vibrant Towns and Cities, Family Holidays in Germany and 2006 FIFA World Cup themes, although there was also plenty of interest in health and fitness breaks and incentive travel. Working together with Klagenfurt and Salzburg airports for the first time, the GNTB delivered highly successful presentations on Germany to the press and travel industry at the beginning of October. New markets in south-east Europe The GNTB is focusing its marketing efforts in eastern Europe on more intensive press work, concentrating on newsletters, interviews, press conferences and fact-finding tours for the main trade publications and daily press. Czech Republic The GNTB organised its first roadshow in the high-potential south-east European market with a view to increasing sales via the travel trade. It met the demands of key players in the tourism market based in the region to establish direct contacts with German service providers. About 20 German exhibitors presented their latest range of products and services, firstly in the Hungarian capital, Budapest, and then in Prague on the following day. There was also great demand in the Czech market for the GNTB sales catalogue We re going to Germany. Around 300 travel industry specialists from Austria, Slovenia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary were welcomed by GNTB Austria to the 9th German Travel Fair held on 31 March in the orangery of Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna. Together with 50 German tourism service providers, the GNTB presented the latest travel offers, current themes and top events in Germany s towns, cities and holiday regions. Demand from Germany s neighbouring market was dominated by 54

55 COMMUNICATIONS SOUTH EAST EUROPE Austria Czech Republic Hungary Slovakia Slovenia, rest of south Europe Turkey Tours for journalists Number of group tours Participants N. of individual tours Press conferences Number Participants (total) Advertising materials Sales brochure: Booking Germany made easy, customer magazine: Treffpunkt Sales brochure: We re going to Germany, newsletter Travel Tips Sales brochure: We re going to Germany Sales brochure: We re going to Germany - Travel Tips Deutschland, newsletter for the travel industry and the press Media advertising Adverts with Railtour Austria; billboard campaign with the Austrian Tourist Bureau Advertisments in the magazine Snow, adverts during the Holiday World trade fair in TTG magazine as well as for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in TTG and C.O.T. Several adverts during the Utazás trade fair, e.g. for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the Munich Oktoberfest, Berlin Hungary In October 2005, the GNTB and Berlin Tourismus Marketing GmbH jointly organised a presentation on Berlin in the new Budapest Palace of Art. 50 journalists and representatives of travel agencies and tour operators were able to find out about 2005 Winter Magic in Berlin, events during the World Cup year and opportunities for shopping. The tour operators brochure We re going to Germany was published for the Utázas 2005 travel fair. It is very popular with consumers and contains a wide-ranging list of holidays in Germany offered by Hungarian tour operators together with their contact details. Slovenia A seminar tour to Europa-Park Rust and Legoland in May 2005 organised by GNTB Slovenia and AMZS, the Slovenian motoring organisation proved a great success. Since the middle of the year the AMZS website at has been featuring a whole series of articles about German theme parks, their main attractions, special offers and links to the respective websites. Greece The GNTB launched its marketing initiative in Greece on 22 March 2005 when GNTB Austria made its first presentation in the Greek market. Working together with Berlin Tourismus Marketing GmbH and Alpha Travel Consultants GmbH, a Berlin inbound tour operator, the GNTB presented the latest package deals, products and services on offer in Germany to more than 40 participants from the Greek travel industry and the trade and general media. As a follow-up in the Greek market the GNTB organised a press tour in June to Leipzig and Frankfurt am Main for the Confederations Cup match between Greece and Brazil. Turkey The GNTB intensified its activities in Turkey in 2005, with the focus on extensive press work including both a regular press service for the Turkish media and a press tour in October 2005 to eastern Bavaria, Franconia and the Rheingau. The tour took in towns and cities, shopping, food and drink as well as health, medical and wellness holidays. Another tour in December 2005 gave journalists the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the City Breaks, Christmas and 2006 FIFA World Cup themes in Frankfurt am Main, VW s Autostadt automotive exhibition complex and visitor centre, Berlin and Potsdam. 55

56 3. INTERNATIONAL SALES AND MARKETING REGIONAL MANAGEMENT AMERICAS/ISRAEL Overnight stays Overnight stays 2005 Change 04/05 in % Population* 2 (million) Total 4,236,692 5,822, USA 3,186,396 4,422, Canada 266, , Central/South America 506, , Americas 3,959,076 5,505, Israel 277, , excl. camping * 2 carried forward/estimated for 2005 Source: Federal Statistical Office 2006 Chicago Toronto New York Z Frankfurt Head Office Los Angeles Jaffa São Paulo 56

57 REGIONAL MANAGEMENT AMERICAS/ ISRAEL: ASSESSMENT OF THE MARKET The USA is still the most important traditional overseas market for Germany. Together with Canada, Central and South America it accounted for just under six million overnight stays in Germany, a four per cent increase on Following the decline in volumes due to the global crisis in the wake of September 11 and other external events such as SARS, travel to Germany from the USA is now experiencing substantial year-on-year growth was the second-best year for trips to Germany from the USA with an additional 100,000 overnight stays (making a total of 4.4 million) and more than 1.9 million arrivals. Business travel accounts for the largest share of trips to Germany from the USA (42%), followed by holidays (32%) and visits to friends and family (26%). For US citizens, Germany is the third most important travel destination in Europe, behind the United Kingdom and France, with a market share of twelve per cent. 9.2 per cent of all overnight stays in Germany by visitors from abroad in 2005 were by US visitors. As the population in the USA ages in future years, and consequently has more leisure time and can take more frequent and longer holidays, the market will have the potential to grow by about two million overnight stays by the year The number of overnight stays by people travelling from Canada to Germany in 2005 rose by 7.8 per cent to about 440,000. In Canada, as in the USA, Germany is the third-placed European travel destination and has an eleven per cent share of the market. The primary reason for travelling to Germany from Canada was to visit friends and family (48% of all travel). 37 per cent of travel from Canada to Germany was for business purposes, whilst travel purely for a holiday accounted for only 15 per cent. In 2005, the number of overnight stays in Germany by visitors from Brazil increased by 10.7 per cent to more than 240,000. In Brazil, Europe as a destination region had a market share of 29 per cent in The most important reason for travelling to Europe was for a holiday (53% of all trips). Another 24 per cent were travelling on business, while 23 per cent were visiting friends and family. Within Europe, Germany is the fourth most popular destination for Brazilians (20%), behind France, Italy and Spain. The 2006 FIFA World Cup has undoubtedly already encouraged extra trips and boosted numbers, and will trigger a substantial rise in saw steady growth in overnight stays by Israeli visitors in Germany. More than 300,000 overnight stays were recorded, representing a seven per cent rise on Germany is in third place behind France and the United Kingdom on the list of most popular travel destinations in Europe for Israelis, with a market share of twelve per cent. Half of all visits to Germany from Israel were for a holiday. Another 30 per cent of Israelis were travelling on business, while 20 per cent were visiting friends and family. 57

58 3. INTERNATIONAL SALES AND MARKETING REGIONAL MANAGEMENT AMERICAS/ISRAEL USA Canada Brazil Israel Market-specific themes Routes to the Roots, religious travel, Gayfriendly Germany River cruises, castles and palaces, pilgrimage Gayfriendly Germany Theme parks, Jewish travel, Gayfriendly Germany SALES AND MARKETING AMERICAS/ISRAEL USA Canada Brazil Israel Trade fairs (affiliates) New York Times Travel Show, New York (2) GACCOM, Chicago (2) National Religious Broadcasting, Anaheim (3) Salon International Tourisme Voyages, Montreal (1) Incentives Works Show, Toronto (6) ABAV, Rio de Janeiro (8) - GNTB-workshops (affiliates) Mountain Travel Symposium, Aspen (1) Destination Germany West Coast (22) Destination Germany East Coast (24) Destination Germany East Coast (24) Workshop Alemanha, São Paulo and Buenos Aires (Argentinia) (11 and 9) Other partner workshops Tours for travel agents Number Participants (total) SELECTED SALES AND MARKETING ACTIVITIES USA GNTB North America ran two Destination Germany roadshows in 2005 touring the West Coast cities of Denver, San Diego, Sacramento and Millbrae (San Francisco) in January and Philadelphia, Seekonk, Boston and Montreal on the East Coast in October. Participants received basic information in the form of the new Destination Germany guide with comprehensive details about Germany as a travel destination and details of inclusive packages. GNTB North America published the glossy leaflet Discover your Roots in Germany in 2005 to inspire US citizens to trace their ancestry in Germany. The leaflet is aimed at the 46 million or so Americans with German roots and links a total of 24 German towns and cities with the theme whilst featuring their main tourist attractions. GNTB North America also ran an e-marketing campaign with 13 American travel companies promoting Germany as a travel destination with attractive holiday offers and a competition. The campaign was mainly aimed at consumers and generated more than 60,000 qualified contacts. More than 225,000 people were interested in travel offers to Germany and visited the website at An instore campaign run by GNTB North America in conjunction with Samsonite in autumn 2005 was a successful example of public-private partnership in practice. The campaign used posters of Germany, postcards and bag charms in all of Samsonite s shops across the USA and on the Samsonite website to promote Germany as a travel destination. Almost 5,000 qualified contacts took part in the competition and found out about tourist destinations and packages in Germany. More than half a million people pass through Grand Central station in New York every day and from 3 to 9 June 2005 it was the venue for the GNTB s exhibition, Germany a SENSE-sational Experience. The GNTB showcased German culinary and cultural delights, together with the Central Marketing Organisation of German Agricultural Industries (CMA), the German Information Center and the Goethe Institute. It also turned the spotlight on the GNTB s 58

59 tädte COMMUNICATIONS AMERICAS/ISRAEL USA Canada Brazil Israel Tours for journalists Number of group tours Participants N. of individual tours Press conferences Number Participants (total) Advertising materials Flyers for the themes Gayfriendly City brochures in collaboration - - Germany, Routes to the Roots, Routes to Luther and Jewish Traveler, also trade newsletter with tour organiser ATOURZ Media advertising Germany Faces campaign with 13 partners in the US travel industry, web marketing and advertising campaigns in the trade magazines Agent@Home, Jax Fax, Recommend, Travel Agent, Travel Trade and Travel Weekly, Routes to the Roots advertising campaigns in eight German-language magazines, advertising campaign for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in the magazine 90 Minutes Campaign with posters, flyers, online promotion and press information in 125 Flight Centre travel agencies, inserts for spring/summer and autumn/winter trips in trade magazines Travel Courier and Canadian Traveller 2006 FIFA World Cup calendar with Goethe Institute, Fly&Drive brochure, New Age Germany brochure Germany mailing to Lufthansa Miles&More customers Family Holidays in Germany theme with special attractions on Family Day, whilst the 2006 FIFA World Cup was the centre of attention on Soccer Day. A number of the GNTB s partners exhibited their Germany products on the 185m 2 stand. The Central European Experience (CEE) marketing alliance has been established with the aim of creating a cross-border platform for the US travel industry. The association s members are the tourist offices of Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, plus GNTB North America. The CEE introduced itself in the summer at the VACATION.COM trade fair in Orlando, Florida where it satisfied huge demand in the North American travel industry for multinational products and services in the central European region. More than 1,000 travel agents attended the trade fair. Canada The annual conference of the Alpine Travel Commission (ATC), the marketing association for the Alpine countries of Austria, Switzerland, Italy and Germany took place in Toronto for the first time in Canadian journalists attended a presentation on 7 July in Toronto about the latest products, services and packages on offer in the ATC member countries. The ATC s marketing focus for 2006 will be on Walking in the Alps/The Alps everything in walking distance and it is to run a workshop in October to discuss specific marketing opportunities. Brazil In 2005, the GNTB together with the World Cup host cities of Kaiserslautern, Hannover, Munich, Nuremberg and Stuttgart showcased Destination Germany at a roadshow in Brazil and Argentina, both countries with a strong footballing tradition. The workshops in São Paulo and Buenos Aires centred around the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Israel The GNTB was present alongside affiliates from Berlin and the Black Forest at the International Mediterranean Tourism Market (IMTM) in Tel Aviv, the most important tourism trade fair in the region. A visit to the Germany stand by the Israeli minister for tourism, Avraham Hirchson, was a special highlight for the GNTB s sales campaign. From l. to r.: Knut Hänschke, Head of Regional Management and Destination Management, GNTB; Avraham Hirchson, Israeli Minister of Tourism; Goldi Gottlieb, head of GNTB Israel 59

60 3. INTERNATIONAL SALES AND MARKETING REGIONAL MANAGEMENT ASIA, SOUTH AFRICA AND AUSTRALASIA Overnight stays Overnight stays 2005 Change 04/05 in % Population* 2 (million) Total 3,805,761 5,527,879 6,9 4,758,0 Japan 1,306,499 1,312, China/Hong Kong 333, , , South Korea 165, , Asia* 3,161,772 4,333, ,821.0 Africa 349, , Arab Gulf States 204, , Australia, New Zealand and 294, , Oceania Other countries 2,711,130 2,652, excl. camping * excl. Israel * 2 carried forward/estimated for 2005 Source: Federal Statistical Office 2006 Z Frankfurt Head Office Beijing Tokyo Dubai New Delhi Hong Kong Johannesburg Sydney 60

61 REGIONAL MANAGEMENT ASIA/ AUSTRALASIA/SOUTH AFRICA: ASSESSMENT OF THE MARKET Asia continues to be one of the most important growth markets for Germany, and the GNTB predicts that overnight stays by visitors from Asia, South Africa, Australasia and the Arab Gulf States will exceed eight million by 2015 (2005: approx. 4.9 million). In 2005, the German Federal Statistical Office recorded around 1.3 million overnight stays by Japanese visitors to Germany an increase of 2.1 per cent on the previous year. Japan is thus the second most important overseas market for Germany, after the USA, and the most important incoming market in Asia. Compared to European countries, the level of international travel among the Japanese is very low (around 11.4 per cent of the total population of 128 million). The Japanese market therefore still offers enormous potential for growth, in terms of travel to Germany and to Europe as a whole. In 2004, 56 per cent of visits to Germany from Japan were for a holiday, 36 per cent of Japanese visits to Germany were for business, while eight per cent of Japanese travellers were visiting friends and family. 13 per cent of all travel by mainland Chinese to Europe was to Germany, putting it in second place as a travel destination. The number of overnight stays by visitors from China and Hong Kong to Germany rose by eight per cent in 2005, to 850,000, compared with a 36.5 per cent rise in per cent of all trips from China and Hong Kong to Germany in 2004 were for business, while a further 33 per cent were to visit friends and family. Holiday travel rose to 25 per cent in 2004 (2003: 16%) and is increasing in importance. Chinese tour groups have been permitted to come to Germany since the ADS agreement between the German government and the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) was signed on 15 February Visa formalities are simplified for countries with Approved Destination Status, which has now been conferred on a further 22 EU states, thanks to an agreement between the European Union and the CNTA signed in The GNTB expects this to generate additional impetus for tourism from China to Europe and Germany. Germany is already the most popular European destination in Taiwan, and the second most popular in South Korea and India. The number of overnight stays by visitors to Germany from the Arab Gulf States rose in 2005 by 26.7 per cent to just under , compared with a rise of 15.1 per cent the previous year Germany s market share of 13 per cent now makes it the second most popular European destination for visitors from Arab countries. Visitors from the Arab Gulf States already account for 1.3 per cent of all overnight stays by visitors from abroad and with an average stay of 3.5 days they spend the longest period in Germany of all overseas visitors. The number of overnight stays by visitors from Australia, New Zealand and Oceania to Germany rose by 9.4 per cent to over 450,000 million in Overnight stays by visitors from African countries fell by 2.4 per cent compared with 2004 to around 400,000. The number of overnight stays by visitors from South Africa however rose slightly, by 2.8 per cent, to more than 100,

62 3. INTERNATIONAL SALES AND MARKETING REGIONAL MANAGEMENT ASIA/SOUTH AFRICA/AUSTRALASIA Japan, South Korea China, Hong Kong Australia United Arab Emirates Market-specific themes Campaign Germany in Japan 2005/2006, EXPO Aichi Scenic routes Youth adventure travel, cultural and gourmet breaks Health and fitness breaks, Green Germany SALES AND MARKETING ASIA/SOUTH AFRICA/AUSTRALASIA Japan, South Korea China, Hong Kong Australia United Arab Emirates Trade fairs (affiliates) GNTB workshops (affiliates) JATA World Travel Fair, Tokyo (4) KOTFA, Seoul (3) German Travel Week, Osaka/Tokyo/Seoul (38) Trade fair workshop, Tokyo (3) China International Travel Mart (CITM), Kunming (9) Guangzhou International Travel Fair (GITF), Guangzhou (6) Beijing International Tourism Expo (BITE), Beijing (5) International Travel Expo (ITE), Hong Kong (1) China Promotion Tour, Beijing/ Xian/Shanghai/Guangzhou/Hong Kong (35) Meeting in Europe Promotion Camp, Guangzhou (1) - ATM, Dubai (18) - - Other partner workshops Tours for travel agents Number Participants (total) SELECTED SALES AND MARKETING ACTIVITIES Japan/South Korea The GNTB put in place an extensive range of initiatives ahead of the launch of the Germany in Japan 2005/2006 campaign on 4 April The campaign was initiated by the German government and its aim was to use informative projects from the fields of business, culture, science, education and society to give the Japanese a comprehensive insight into modern-day Germany and to boost travel to Germany from Japan. The 12th German Travel Week which took place from 11 to 14 April 2005 was a highlight of the GNTB s activities in Japan. Around 700 representatives of the Japanese travel industry came to see the latest packages and products offered in Germany by 38 suppliers. The event was held by the GNTB in Tokyo and Osaka, plus Seoul in the emerging market of South Korea for the first time. in Aichi was a key element in the GNTB s marketing activities. In collaboration with the French tourist board, Maison de la France, the GNTB exhibited at the Franco- German Common House between 25 March and 14 April. During the entire six months of the EXPO, the GNTB distributed its own print products and the Germany e-book. As part of the Germany in Japan 2005/2006 initiative, the Association of German-Japanese Companies, together with a range of partners including the German Youth Sports (DSJ) organisation invited 170 German and 100 Japanese youngsters to take part in a week-long exchange programme. Visitors to the JATA World Travel Fair from 22 to 24 September 2005 in Tokyo were encouraged by the GNTB to visit Germany, with particular emphasis on the 2006 FIFA World Cup, which the Japanese have been eagerly anticipating since their national team qualified to compete in it. The GNTB launched its Germany campaign with a flyer in Japanese aimed at the youth market, showing Germany as a fashionable destination, especially for its young target group. The Germany stand at EXPO

63 COMMUNICATIONS ASIA/SOUTH AFRICA/AUSTRALASIA Japan, South Korea China, Hong Kong Australia United Arab Emirates Tours for journalists Number of group tours Participants N. of individual tours Press conferences Number Participants (total) Advertising materials Germany Pocket Guide, German Impressions Sales guide, flyers for the themes Music, Family Holidays and Winter Sports Media advertising Train and metro advertising in Tokyo and Osaka, radio adverts 2006 FIFA World Cup promotion in the weekly paper TITAN-Sports, advertising campaign with Österreich Werbung for Mozart Year and in the China brochure of the Association of the German Trade Fair Industry Advert in the Rail Plus - annual brochure, banner ads on the daily etravelblackboard Joint advertising campaign with Lufthansa in the daily paper Gulf News every day for a month China/Hong Kong Notable features in the Chinese market in 2005 were the GNTB s stands at leading trade fairs in Kunming, Guangzhou and Hong Kong, which focused on the World Cup, and the Germany Roadshow taking in Beijng, Xian, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong, the largest source markets in China Chinese tour operators attended each workshop where they were given information about products and services available in Germany by the 35 GNTB partners taking part. As well as a range of other events, the GNTB in China took the opportunity to participate in the 1st Information Day for Study, Research and Tourism in Germany. Other participants in the event which was held in March at the Goethe-Institute in Beijing and attracted over 350 visitors, included the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the German embassy. region, although German towns and cities with their wide range of shopping facilities and theme parks are also promoted here. The 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany was also one of the main themes of the GNTB s activities in Dubai in In May 2005, the GNTB made its eleventh appearance at the Arabian Travel Mart (ATM), the region s foremost tourism trade fair. The GNTB and 18 affiliates showcased the diversity of Germany s tourism sector for the 16,000 people who attended. Immediately before the ATM, the GNTB took part in a product presentation by Emirates Holidays, its major partner in the market. The presentation concentrated on the Emirates Air destinations of Düsseldorf, Frankfurt and Munich plus Berlin and Hamburg and above all the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Australia/New Zealand/Oceania The key marketing theme in the Australian market in 2005 was youth travel. In their efforts to attract this younger target group, the GNTB successfully participated in an event at the University of Sydney, where they presented Germany as a fascinating travel destination with exciting events to around 8,000 young people. Outlook for India India is a growth market offering great opportunities for the inbound travel industry in Europe, the world s biggest international travel market, and Germany, the continent s fifth-largest inbound market. The GNTB launched its local marketing operations in India when it opened its 30th sales and marketing agency in cooperation with Lufthansa in New Delhi. Arab Gulf States The establishment of the GNTB s 29th representative office in conjunction with Lufthansa in Dubai gave fresh impetus to the market in the Arab Gulf States. The health and fitness holidays segment is important to visitors to Germany from the Gulf 63

64 4. The Nationwide Service and Friendliness Campaign

65 Michael Glos, Federal Minister for Economics and Technology, Klaus Laepple, President of the Federal Association of the German Tourism Industry (BTW) and chairman of the Tourism/Visitor Service working group, Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden, Franz Beckenbauer, President of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee Germany, Fedor H. Radmann, advisor to the Executive Board and Tourism Representative on the OC 2006 FIFA World Cup and Petra Hedorfer, German National Tourist Board, at the campaign launch during the BTW summit meeting on 6 December 2005 in Berlin (l. to r.). GERMANY ROLLS OUT THE RED CARPET Working in close cooperation with the 2006 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee Germany, the Federal Government has developed a hospitality concept for this major sporting event with the slogan: A time to make friends. The service and friendliness campaign initiated by the OC 2006 FIFA World Cup and the German National Tourist Board is a central element of this concept. The campaign is financed by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology and the Federal Ministry of the Interior, and coordinated by the GNTB. The project seeks to enhance Germany s positive image as a travel destination in the long term, and increase future inbound tourism by improving service standards throughout the industry and among the population as a whole before, during and after the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The campaign is aimed at the German public in their role as hosts of the tournament, the media in Germany and key partners in the tourist industry, and sends a signal to the wider German public, and also to visitors from abroad, that the host nation is putting into practice the slogan A time to make friends beyond the confines of the World Cup. An instantly recognisable logo symbolises the idea underpinning the project Germany rolls out the red carpet and the slogan A time to make friends. The logo is used in conjunction with the official FIFA emblem or the official World Cup slogan. On the initiative of the OC 2006 FIFA World Cup, a working group was formed to devise a joint hospitality concept. Besides the GNTB, other organisations participating in the Visitor Service/Tourism FIFA World Cup 2006 TM working group include the 2006 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee Germany, the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, the Federal Ministry of the Interior, the Federal Association of the German Tourism Industry (BTW), Deutsche Bahn AG as official supplier to 2006 FIFA World Cup, the German Hotel and Restaurant Association, FIFA Marketing & TV Deutschland GmbH, the Association of German Commercial Airports, represented by FRAPORT AG, the German automobile association (ADAC), Bayern Tourismus Marketing GmbH and North Rhine-Westphalia Tourism Association as representatives of the regional tourism marketing organisations, and Stuttgart Marketing GmbH representing all 12 FIFA World Cup Host Cities. Mr Klaus Laepple, President of the Federal Association of the German Tourism Industry was appointed to chair the working group with Mr Fedor H. Radmann, advisor to the Organising Committee s executive board and its representative for art, culture and tourism, as his deputy. The working group was tasked with devising policy and specific measures for a successful hospitality concept, while the brief of the German 65

66 4. THE NATIONWIDE SERVICE AND FRIENDLINESS CAMPAIGN National Tourist Board was to coordinate and oversee the operational implementation of the special nationwide campaigns. Applications were made to the BMWi and BMI in November 2004 and March 2005 for a budget of three million euros to implement the concept, and these were approved in spring FIFA WORLD CUP BOOSTS GERMANY S IMAGE In the months leading up the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the GNTB commissioned the market research company TNS Infratest to carry out a two-part study. 1,000 people in seven source markets whose national teams have qualified for the World Cup Brazil, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden were questioned at the end of 2005 about their travel habits, the image of Germany as a travel destination and their awareness of the FIFA World Cup host cities and the 2006 FIFA World Cup in general. A further survey in September/October 2006 will provide an insight into how the summer s festival of football has enhanced the image of Germany. In the first survey, Germany scored highly as a likely travel destination for 2006 in Brazil, Japan, France and Italy, and even more so in the Netherlands and Sweden. The respondents were impressed by the good transport infrastructure, countryside, nature and places of historical interest, as well as good hotels and shopping opportunities. 56 per cent of those questioned also said that Germany was the ideal venue for international sports events and just under half rated Germany as a friendly and cosmopolitan country. Around half of the respondents knew that Germany was the venue for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. THE RED CARPET IS BEING ROLLED OUT THROUGH GERMANY Campaign kick-off at the BTW summit The nationwide service and friendliness campaign officially kicked off with a panel discussion at the BTW (Federal Association of the German Tourism Industry) conference on 6 December 2005 in Berlin. Michael Glos, Federal Minister for Economics and Technology, Franz Beckenbauer, President of the Organising Committee, Klaus Laepple, President of the BTW and Chairman of the Tourism/Visitor Service working group, Fedor H. Radmann, advisor to the Executive Board and Tourism Representative for the OC 2006 FIFA World Cup, and Petra Hedorfer unveiled the campaign and logo to 600 German tourism industry representatives. Standing symbolically on the red carpet, Franz Beckenbauer then welcomed Queen Silvia of Sweden as the first guest of honour to the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. 66

67 Final draw in Leipzig From 4 to 10 December 2005, providers of tourism services, including hotels, trade fair organisers and railway management, were already putting specific aspects of the campaign into practice at the final draw for 2006 FIFA World Cup in Leipzig. Specially trained city tour guides, tourist information office staff, the welcome desks in the main railway station and hotel staff welcomed their guests and provided information on the 2006 FIFA World Cup, on Destination Germany and on Leipzig, FIFA World Cup Host City. Between 7 and 10 December 2005 the Leipziger Volkszeitung newspaper published articles in the four official FIFA languages of German, English, French and Spanish as a special service for its readers. The newspaper also provided free copies to visitors to the city in partnership with the city s hotels. Leipzig s Central Stadium became a particularly powerful symbol of Leipzig hospitality on 8 December 2005 when the world s longest red carpet a full 2,200 metres long was rolled out in front of 500 journalists as part of the nationwide service and friendliness campaign. Dr Engelbert Lütke Daldrup, former World Cup representative for the city of Leipzig, and Petra Hedorfer together laid the last five metres of the world record carpet. Roadshow in the FIFA World Cup Host Cities The German National Tourist Board and the OC 2006 FIFA World Cup took the national service and friendliness campaign out on the road between 30 January and 23 February 2006, visiting all twelve FIFA World Cup Host Cities. The aim was to present the campaign to the tourism service providers locally, and discuss city-specific concepts with them. The initiators of the campaign spoke to around 500 key market players within the regional tourism service industry, informed them about the campaign and encouraged them to take advantage of the training courses on offer. The people who attended the roadshow in the host cities said the service and friendliness campaign gave an additional motivational boost to their own activities and signalled their willingness to take part. At the subsequent press conferences, the Organising Committee, the GNTB and their tourism partners informed the local media about the campaign and managed to reach more than 120 regional journalists. Cooperative ventures with partners Projects with various partners of the OC 2006 FIFA World Cup and the GNTB ensured comprehensive communication of the nationwide service and friendliness campaign: A mailshot in partnership with the German Hotel and Restaurant Association (DEHOGA) and German International Hotel Association (IHA) reached more than 1,000 IHA members. Flyers were inserted into the trade magazines Allgemeine Hotel- und Gaststättenzeitung (issue 09/2006, 28,000 copies) and Gastgewerbe Das Branchenmagazin (issue 03/2006, 36,000 copies) promoting the campaign s online shop. The DEHOGA national association and some of its regional affiliates took up the initiative in special 2006 FIFA World Cup publications. A number of communications were sent out to the 600 hotels of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Accommodation Services (WCAS) informing them of the campaign and encouraging them to take part. Around 300 members of the German Convention Bureau (GCB) were informed of the nationwide service and friendliness campaign in a joint letter from the GCB and the GNTB. 67

68 4. THE NATIONWIDE SERVICE AND FRIENDLINESS CAMPAIGN Chancellor Dr Angela Merkel during the World Cup Summit on 15 March 2006 in the Federal Chancellery 15,000 flyers about the campaign were enclosed with a newsletter from Bayern Tourismus Marketing GmbH. The East Bavarian Tourism Association, DEHOGA Rheinland and the FIFA World Cup Host City Dortmund explained the theme in a circular to local tourism partners. A newsletter from the Deutscher ReiseVerband e.v. (German Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators) to its members ensured a high level of awareness within the travel agency sector. A mailshot campaign in April 2006 organised in cooperation with INFOX GmbH & Co. Informationslogistik KG reached 18,000 travel agencies throughout Germany. There were also face-to-face presentations and discussions with key market players from other sectors such as the airports, the German Automobile Association (ADAC) and the German International Coach Association (RDA). The GNTB also regularly exchanges information with the members of the Tourism/ Visitor Service working group, as coini tiators of the service and friendliness campaign. The campaign online shop At the end of January 2006 the GNTB opened the campaign webshop at where tourism companies can obtain training documentation and sector-specific campaign packs. A special kit has been developed for each of the various sectors the hotel and catering trade, travel agencies, airports, Deutsche Bahn AG, the ADAC, taxi companies, transport companies, tourist information offices, regional marketing organisations and FIFA World Cup Host Cities containing badges, stickers, door signs, pennants and posters featuring the campaign logo. Businesses displaying these items will be identified as particularly service-oriented. Within a few weeks of the shop opening, numerous companies from all the tourism sectors and from all German regions were taking part in the campaign. Übersetzung fehlt 68

69 High-profile personalities lend their support to the nationwide service and friendliness campaign (l. to r.): Michael Glos, Federal Minister for Economics and Technology, actress Michaela Merten, Franz Beckenbauer, President of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee Germany; Petra Hedorfer, Chief Executive Officer of the GNTB, celebrity chef Johann Lafer, presenter Tobias Schlegl and actress Kim Sarah Brandts. Presentation of video and poster motif high-profile celebrities in the role of host The initiators of the campaign held an official press conference at Hotel Adlon in Berlin on 7 March 2006, attended by Michael Glos, Federal Minister for Economics and Technology, Dr Christoph Bergner, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Franz Beckenbauer in his capacity as President of the OC 2006 FIFA World Cup, Klaus Laepple, Chairman of the BTW, Fedor H. Radmann, advisor to the Executive Board and Tourism Representative of the Organising Committee and Petra Hedorfer, to present a progress report on the campaign so far. A total of 200 representatives from more than 20 TV stations, around 15 radio stations and more than 80 print and online media, editorial offices and agencies attended the unveiling of the video and the poster motif for the nationwide service and friendliness campaign. Germany s line-up for 2006 is the title of the poster, which shows OC President Franz Beckenbauer rolling out the red carpet along with 76 other key players, including actresses Kim Sarah Brandts and Michaela Merten, actor Pierre Franckh, celebrity chef Johann Lafer, PR guru Dr Florian Langenscheidt and presenter Tobias Schlegl. The poster represents both the tourism sector and the general public: ranging from waiters, chambermaids and bellboys to train and flight attendants, pilots and the yellow angels of the German Automobile Club who provide breakdown assistance, and the football fans themselves. Two videos illustrating the same idea have been produced for the campaign, one 30 seconds long and one 50 seconds. Free copies have been distributed to providers of tourism services and media representatives. The video is intended to be used in a wide variety of settings, including hotel TV, railway stations, airports, stadiums and on the internet. The aim of the poster and video is to raise awareness among the general public about Germany s role as the host nation and to encourage people to help present Germany as a cosmopolitan and hospitable travel destination. The posters were put up all over the country on 20,000 billboards in partnership with the outdoor advertising association (Aussenwerbung e.v.) and generated around million contacts during this period, which means a reach of approximately 53.8 per cent. The media value was calculated at around D 2.3 million. Broadcasting the video on channels such as CNN, DSF, Deutsche Welle TV, NBC, SR, Super RTL and SWR generated media value of around D 100,000. World Cup Summit focused attention on the red carpet The poster for the nationwide service and friendliness campaign was unveiled to the media at the press conference held on 15 March in the Federal Chancellery by Chancellor Dr Angela Merkel with Franz Beckenbauer, President of the Organising Committee, Jürgen Klinsmann, coach of the German national football team and Oliver Bierhoff, his team manager, and top German Football Association (DFB) officials Theo Zwanziger, Horst Schmidt and Wolfgang Niersbach. The theme of service and friendliness in Germany was also brought to the top of the agenda by a range of other measures such as the city talks with high-profile personalities and World Cup Ambassadors in selected FIFA World Cup Host Cities, the rail days organised by Deutsche Bahn AG, the We are the Service Champions competition for representatives of various service professions and the Talent 2006 Festival in Berlin featuring groups of German and international schoolchildren. 69

70 5. Nationwide Domestic Marketing

71 Since 1999 the GNTB has also been responsible for promoting Germany as a travel destination in the domestic market, in addition to its traditional role of raising the profile of Germany internationally. Nationwide marketing provides a cooperation and communications platform for Germany s regions and the GNTB s partners from German industry, with the GNTB adopting a central, coordinating role. Its remit involves analysing and observing the market, bringing together themed holiday products at a national level and promoting them through its marketing activities. In December 2005 the economic ministers of the 16 federal states voted to extend the GNTB s mandate to coordinate nationwide domestic marketing until The GNTB carries out its national domestic marketing role on behalf of the federal states and their marketing organisations, Deutsche Bahn AG and the five tour operators AMEROPA, DERTOUR, ITS, Neckermann- Reisen and TUI. The Domestic Marketing committee provides the strategy for the domestic marketing activities and determines selected target groups and age groups, taking into account the themes, requirements and ideas of the partners. The nationwide domestic marketing is based on three pillars: 1. Specific campaigns and information management on the Germany portal at 2. Extensive cooperation projects with traditional nationwide media 3. Sales and promotional activities for the travel industry. Ongoing, intensive press and PR work also falls within the GNTB s domestic marketing remit. 5.1 GERMANY PORTAL AT The GNTB has been running the Regional Specials campaign for three years now, and in 2005 each federal state was featured in turn on the home page of the GNTB website for a three-week period. The campaign presented special tourist highlights together with new travel offers and themes. There was also a section entitled Geheimtipps (insider tips) which outlined specific holiday themes, events and offers for the respective federal states. 5.2 GERMANY IN THE TRADITIONAL NATIONWIDE MEDIA GNTB COOPERATION PROJECTS Cooperation agreements with the media and industry are the first pillar on which the GNTB s nationwide domestic marketing strategy is based. The German National Tourist Board uses its own flyers as well as publications produced in cooperation with partners and editorial articles in a carefully selected media mix to communicate with its target groups which include 18 to 29 year olds, families and the 45+ generation and encourage them to holiday in Germany. The GNTB s domestic marketing activities focus in particular on three nationwide holiday and travel themes: Health & Fitness Holidays, Family Holidays and City Breaks/ Short Breaks. These themes encompass the health holidays segment, which covers fitness and wellness, holidays in the countryside/by the water, active holidays and sport, short breaks, events, art & culture and food & drink. Whenever Destination Germany is highlighted in the media, the GNTB always makes reference to its Germany website. 71

72 5. NATIONWIDE DOMESTIC MARKETING Short and sweet: City breaks and mini-breaks The 24-page booklet Summer Event Guide 2005, published in partnership with MAX magazine featured the top summer events in Germany. Using the same fresh, modern design as the magazine itself, the GNTB listed numerous events in categories such as festivals, sport, music, theatre, literature, film, design, fashion and art. The GNTB and its partners also featured in the City Guides section of the website at for eight weeks after publication of the MAX edition on 24 May The online content supplemented the print version with a picture gallery, e-cards, a quiz and other features. Two inserts entitled Typisch Deutsch were published in May and October 2005 in partnership with BUNTE, Europe s biggest celebrity and chat magazine. With a focus on mini-breaks, city breaks and active holidays in the countryside, typically German prejudices were examined with reference to individual federal states and then refuted through positive associations. This was underpinned with brief profiles of the cities or regions concerned and appropriate package deals with booking hotline numbers. The GNTB and its partners were also featured for a period of four weeks from the publication dates of the May and October issues on the BUNTE portal at in the section entitled Specials. Visitors to the website could also take part in a quiz and win attractive prizes. An eight-page supplement on the theme of short breaks and city breaks was produced in partnership with the editorial team of Deutsche Bahn s DB Mobil customer magazine. It was inserted in the September issue of the monthly magazine, which has a print run of around 500,000 copies, and was also placed on long-distance Deutsche Bahn trains for a month. It included informative articles on the themes of Culture, Music and Food & Drink relating to each of the federal states, along with tips about interesting events and bookable packages. The supplement also featured special offers from the tour operators AMEROPA, DERTOUR, ITS, Neckermann-Reisen and TUI and a list of all service addresses. 72

73 In November the GNTB published the supplement City Breaks in Germany in partnership with Reader s Digest in a print run of around 780,000 copies. The publication presented a city highlight from each of the federal states along with a top shopping tip for each. The themes of musical and cultural events, historical places and spas reflected the diversity of Germany as a holiday destination. The supplement also contained package offers from tour operators, tips from Deutsche Bahn and a competition. A banner was also placed on the website for a year, starting in November 2005, with a link to the GNTB website. Articles on the themes of family holidays, mini-breaks and city breaks, active holidays and wellness holidays were featured in four editions of the online newsletter for Reader s Digest subscribers. The German-language GNTB flyer Minibreaks in Germany. Just get up and go was published in December 2005 with a print run of around two million copies in the subscriber editions of Stern, Spiegel, Hörzu and Focus magazines. The publication drew attention to the wide range of culture and events on offer throughout the winter and featured items on the many Christmas markets, along with cultural events, shopping and spa facilities. Fun for families The GNTB collaborated with Familie & Co, the market leaders in the family magazines segment, on two initiatives in In January, the German-language supplement Out and about with children the best places to go in spring and summer featured articles on the 16 federal states with the emphasis on family-friendly destinations. It included sections on Family and Nature, Family and Leisure and Family and the City as well as details of attractive package deals from tour operators and Deutsche Bahn. For younger readers, there was also a competition featuring Rudi the travelling mouse. The supplement was published in a print run of around 300,000 copies and a further 240,000 copies were 73

74 5. NATIONWIDE DOMESTIC MARKETING printed for distribution as an insert in the January issue of Spielen & Lernen magazine. In March 2005 the GNTB organised a fourpage promotion feature in Familie & Co with articles, photos and package deals from the tour operators, plus service addresses of all the partners. A map of Germany for families, with child-friendly illustrations and specific travel tips, produced in partnership with the magazine s editorial team, was also given away with the magazine. The cross-media cooperation included prominent mention of the magazine s website at where the GNTB presented additional travel tips and a competition, timed to coincide with the magazine s publication date. Getting active in the German regions In April the GNTB published a booklet entitled Unterwegs in Deutschland (out and about in Germany) in a handy pocket format in cooperation with Vital magazine. The booklet, which was prominently attached to the cover of magazine, focused on wellness holidays and active breaks in Germany with travel tips and offers from the federal states and the tour operators. The main target group was the active, professional, modern woman who looks to Vital for tips and information on the subjects of beauty, fitness, nutrition and health. The 40-page supplement contained editorial features entitled Relaxation & Beauty, Active Outdoors and Culture and Cuisine. The booklet was also featured on the website at for a four-week period, along with additional content such as Last-minute wellness breaks and an online competition. A richly illustrated 40-page supplement published in August and September Deutschland aktiv erleben (active holidays in Germany) presented Germany as a destination for wellness and active holidays. The editorial content was backed up by a number of package deals offered by the federal states, the tour operators and Deutsche Bahn. The supplement presented the over-45s target group with a wide variety of active holiday options, from walking, golf and Nordic Walking to water sports and even paragliding. It also contained a competition with attractive prizes. Germany on the small screen: TV cooperation In 2005, the German National Tourist Board used TV infomercials for the first time, aimed mainly at the 45+ age group. There were three items in all: the feature on Wellness which was broadcast in early May was followed by items on Active Outdoors (June and September) and Art & Culture (broadcast in September). The GNTB broadcast the TV infomercials on the nine regional stations with the greatest reach, to ensure nationwide coverage. The placement of the broadcasts on primetime evening television amid the news and current affairs programmes ensured a high level of credibility and also ensured that the desired target group was reached. The aim of the 2.5 minute infomercial was to promote the image of Germany as a holiday destination and land of a thousand possibilities. The website address featured prominently, encouraging viewers to use the website to obtain more information. The internet site contained information on all the GNTB s domestic marketing partners. On the right wavelength: Radio promotion In 2005 the GNTB ran competitions on the travel shows of radio stations with a broad geographical coverage. Holiday prizes were given away to callers who were able to correctly answer a question about a tourist highlight in one of the federal states. Following the success of the first phase of the Call in & Win promotion in spring, during which around 200 travel vouchers were given away on 34 stations with a potential audience of 50.1 million people, the second phase hit the airwaves between August and October. Also new in 2005 were the Germany travel shows broadcast on the initiative of the GNTB. Each of the programmes focused on one particular town or city, or on a cross-section, highlighting the diversity of a federal state and pointing out fascinating and little-known aspects of that state. In a mix of chat and interviews, the programmes presented highlights, leisure opportunities, travel tips and package deals offered by tour operators. 210 programmes were broadcast on 37 stations throughout the whole of Germany, enabling the GNTB to reach more than 46 million listeners. Infoscreen advertising on metro stations In 2005 the GNTB promoted Germany to millions of people by advertising on the infoscreens at underground stations. The first phase of the infoscreen campaign was launched in July in the form of a 15- second commercial. A rapid sequence of clips presented the theme of holidays in Germany based on four individual product segments: active holidays in the countryside, wellness, events and art and culture. The commercial was shown for 14 days on 148 screens in twelve major cities through- 74

75 out Germany. During this period, the ad ran a total of 74,000 times. In autumn 2005 the second phase was launched, with a further 45,000 showings on the large digital screens. Holidays at the click of a mouse: internet collaboration Since summer 2005 the GNTB has been supporting the ADAC website with selected content about events throughout Germany, taken from the GNTB s website at This new service available to ADAC members in the section entitled Freizeit & Wochenende at provides information on more than 2,500 events throughout the whole of Germany, from street festivals and trade fairs to culture and sport. Most of the information, provided in easily downloadable form, was supplied by the GNTB. In summer 2005, the GNTB collaborated with Aral AG to produce a section on the Aral website featuring the best destinations for days out in Germany. Users could search on themes such as leisure parks, national parks and walking tours. The content also contained longdistance cycle routes taken from the Discovering Germany by Bike project produced by the German Cyclists Federation (ADFC) in partnership with the GNTB. Following the initial phase in February and March, the second phase of the advertising campaign on ran from the end of September to the middle of November. The AdWords campaign focused on advertising the German National Tourist Board website and its database of package deals. When Google users entered holidayrelated search terms, the ad column on the search results page also included a GNTB advert with a direct link to the website at SALES AND PROMOTIONAL ACTIVI- TIES FOR THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY The third central element of the GNTB s domestic marketing comprises its sales promotion activities for the travel trade. This includes collaboration with German tour operators, providing information and training to travel agencies and using the extranet as a new information medium for the travel industry. GNTB extranet At the end of June 2005, the GNTB s extranet at the most important trade portal for everything to do with Germany as a travel destination had a complete revamp. A new layout and improved navigation now takes users to the information they need even more quickly. Other enhancements include a more powerful route planner and the new forum for travel agency professionals, which adds a communicative element to this highly informative platform. This new feature enables travel agency professionals to discuss issues relating to tourism in Germany with other colleagues or members of the GNTB team. 75

76 5. NATIONWIDE DOMESTIC MARKETING New content is regularly added to the extranet, so that travel agency professionals can find fresh information about the German holiday regions every time they visit. The various online training programmes which help improve product knowledge remain a very popular and frequently used element of the site. There is also a list of tour operator brochures and a Germany-wide events database which provide further assistance to travel agency staff in advising their customers. GNTB e-learning programme In 2005, travel agency professionals were offered two opportunities to deepen their knowledge of Germany as a travel destination with the GNTB s free online training course ( Expedition Deutschland Das Seminar für Entdecker ). The programme proved so popular that the second phase of the training, which was planned to run until the end of February 2005, remained online for an additional month and by the time it ended, around 2,700 participants had completed the course. In October, the GNTB launched the third part of the e-learning programme, which remained online until the end of March 2006 on the GNTB s extranet at So far, more than 5,000 travel agency professionals have taken part in the GNTB s e-learning programme. The objective of the training courses was to improve travel agency professionals knowledge of Germany, enabling them to advise their customers more expertly and thus increase sales of Germany holidays in travel agencies. Participants took a virtual tour of Germany, themed according to the GNTB product lines Active Holidays, Family Holidays and Cultural and City Breaks. The tour could be taken with or without sound, under the watchful eye of the expedition leader, Molly the cow. The course covered packages, products and booking tips from all the federal states, the tour operators AMEROPA, DERTOUR, ITS, Neckermann-Reisen and TUI and Deutsche Bahn. The sections covering theme parks and scenic routes also contained a wealth of interesting tips, while a map of Destination Germany provided extra information especially for families. The system was designed so that users could stop at any time and then pick up where they left off, making it very flexible. Participants could also download all the content in PDF format, and seek advice and further assistance from the GNTB team. There were questions at the end to test how much the participants had learned, and those who passed the course received a certificate from the Willy Scharnow Institute for Tourism. Database on the GNTB website The GNTB collaborated with the tour operators and the regional marketing organisations to maintain an extensive database of travel offers. In 2005, the database contained a representative selection of more than 1,500 packaged breaks. These are primarily aimed at consumers, although travel agency professionals can also use the database to search for specific packages and last-minute offers that can be booked through a travel agency. In 2005 these accounted for more than a third of the entries in the database. Germany packages in the trade press In 2005, the GNTB once again produced an information guide to Germany in partnership with the trade magazines FVW International and Travel Talk. Aimed at the various target groups in Germany, the brochure contains unusual offers and tips for holidays in all Germany s regions. An eight-page guide summarises the key points for travel agency professionals, including the services offered by and the addresses of regional tourism organisations, Deutsche Bahn and the tour operators, plus an overview of the Germanythemed tour operator brochures and selected events. Sales promotion in collaboration with tour operators In its capacity as a provider of nationwide domestic marketing services, the GNTB works with the federal government, the federal states and the Germany tourism industry to position Destination Germany in the domestic German market. Collaboration with the tour operators is a central element of the sales promotion activities the GNTB carries out on behalf of the travel industry. As part of its efforts to establish direct contact with consumers, in March 2005 the GNTB collaborated on a project with Neckermann-Reisen which focused on families. Mailshots were sent to parents with school-age children who had previously booked a holiday in Germany via Neckermann-Reisen but had not done so in the last twelve months, informing them of the many great places to visit and encouraging them to take up one of its offers. The mailshot included a 20-page brochure packed with valuable travel tips for interactive children s museums, nature parks, theme parks and active holidays. Neckermann-Reisen also added a familyoriented package deal for each federal state, and there was a competition offering the chance to win two attractive holidays. In March, the informative twelve-page flyers Deutschlands Norden (North Germany) and Deutschlands Süden (South Germany) were produced in partnership with TUI Deutschland GmbH and inserted into the tui news special Deutschland im Sommer 05 magazine. The flyers contained features on the federal states, presenting them as multi-faceted travel destinations and covering a wide range of themes from wellness breaks in the mountains to family holidays by the sea. TUI also put together an appropriate package deal for each federal state. In spring 2005, the GNTB and AMEROPA joined forces to promote the theme of the Pleasures of Germany, with an attractive display in the windows of more than 500 travel agencies. Central to this promotion were the federal states of Baden-Württemberg and Hessen with a number of packages 76

77 based on food & drink and wellness. In September 2005, the GNTB collaborated with the tour operator ITS to produce a 16-page sales brochure for consumers on the theme of Golden Autumn in Germany. The brochure, which had a print run of 45,000 copies, was distributed via a counter display in 1,200 travel agencies in ITS s German source markets. The same theme was covered in an editorial feature in the ITS customer magazine Sommersprossen and in the regionally distributed Lotto magazine Glück. Virtual visitors to the ITS website ( in autumn found the latest holiday offers for Germany in the Tipps der Woche (tips of the week) section. At the DERTOUR travel academy which was staged in South Africa at the end of 2005, the GNTB presented a workshop on the theme of Holidays in Germany in collaboration with Hamburg Tourismus GmbH. Around 700 travel agency professionals from all over Germany attended the travel academy, making it one of the most important training events for the tourism industry and the biggest event organised by DERTOUR. Other products and services were offered by all the Reiseland-DB travel agencies, travel centres operated by Deutsche Bahn AG, local tourist information offices and the travel agencies. Summary: Success through cooperation The proven formula of collaboration with our partners in a broad range of domestic marketing activities has generated added value for everyone involved. Ideas were shared to generate new themes, the re gional marketing organisations developed new and innovative package deals and cooperation agreements were put in place with other service providers in the industry. The tour operators are permanently increasing the number of Germany-based package deals they offer, and German travel agents are doing good business from the increased, and still rising, demand for travel in Germany. 77

78 6. Administration

79 6.1 PERSONNEL The GNTB s national and international success would not have been possible without the great dedication and commitment of our staff in Germany and around the world, so we would like to thank them all for their hard work and professionalism. We have risen to the challenge of the growing demands on our marketing services by forging ever closer links between our head office in Frankfurt and the foreign representative offices and sales and marketing agencies and ensuring the prompt dissemination of information throughout the network. The GNTB has the equivalent of full-time staff at its disposal 77 in Frankfurt and 76.5 in its foreign representative offices. To comply with the requirements of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, the GNTB s main source of funding, it has had to reduce staff numbers by two. The replacement of the Collective Agreement for Public Employees (BAT) with a new the public-sector workers pay agreement (TVöD) represented a radical change in personnel matters. Thanks to the efforts of the personnel team, the changeover in payroll calculations on 1 October 2005 was implemented smoothly. Staff turnover was up on the previous year, necessitating the recruitment of a total of 11 replacement staff members. Young, well-trained employees moved on to international tourism companies where their experience with the GNTB will stand them in good stead. GNTB supports new career qualification A new tourism and leisure qualification was introduced on 1 August 2005 focusing on inbound tourism in Germany and the domestic travel market. Candidates can train in tourism organisations, tourist information offices or marketing companies as well as leisure parks, health and fitness facilities or campsites. The main components of the vocational apprenticeship are destination management, events organisation, customer communications and tourism marketing. Reflecting its active support of the development of this new career field, the GNTB was one of the first organisations to offer trainee positions and now has three such trainees. It also took on two new trainees working towards travel industry qualifications, bringing its total number of trainees to 16. GNTB trainee programme enters its second phase As well as vocational training, the GNTB also offers a career path for management trainees. Six university graduates were accepted for a one-year training programme which includes project work in different departments at the GNTB head office in Frankfurt as well as placements in foreign representative offices, at tourism trade fairs in Germany and abroad, plus various individual and group training courses. Greater focus on the German incoming tourism industry at vocational training colleges The GNTB also supported the new qualification by providing the first further education course for college teachers who provide the classroom-based training element under the German dual system of work and collegebased vocational education. In December it launched a teacher-training course in conjunction with the German Seminar for Tourism (DSFT) to raise the profile of Germany s incoming tourism industry in vocational colleges. More than 40 college teachers from all over Germany travelled to Frankfurt to learn about the new course content and to get 79

80 6. ADMINISTRATION hands-on experience of the work of the national tourist board. It was apparent that up-to-date material about the German tourism industry and individual destinations would be an essential part of the tuition. Ongoing training and development a priority The growing challenges faced in tourism marketing, the development of new markets and changing communication platforms make it essential for employees to undertake ongoing training and development and to expand their knowledge base. The GNTB ran a range of training courses in 2005 to equip its employees for the challenges ahead. Almost half of its staff attended one or more individual courses. About 75 per cent took the opportunity to attend group training courses ranging from training on new software, intercultural seminars and events marketing to marketing seminars focusing on the high-potential Indian market. Courses were provided inhouse as well as at external venues such as the German Seminar for Tourism (DSFT). 6.2 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY In 2005, more new central technology was installed and security systems across the entire network were improved. A Novell update was required at head office. Novell applications such as ZENworks, Groupwise and Netware were upgraded to meet the ever more stringent requirements of the software manufacturers. During the update, the internal network organisation was also reviewed and streamlined resulting in a substantial improvement in performance for users in Frankfurt. Changing the internet service provider for the GNTB s network of sales offices enabled it to cut costs whilst the bandwidth of some connections was increased significantly. Hardware and software audits were carried out last year at five foreign representative offices which enabled the GNTB to close any gaps in security and to determine more accurately where to invest in system replacement and modernisation. 6.3 LOGISTICS The GNTB s own printed matter and material provided by the German tourism industry is distributed to its sales network in 28 markets via a central distribution warehouse in Frankfurt am Main. It also makes deliveries at short notice to trade fairs, workshops and events in other locations. The range of brochures offered outside Germany is optimised on an ongoing basis via an internal clearing house. Quality control is largely based on a selection tailored to each international source market, including, for example, information in the appropriate language, avoidance of content duplication and the suitability of certain images for the markets. About five million brochures in up to 14 different language versions were distributed, the equivalent of 482 tonnes of printed material. In order to pick and distribute this volume in as short a time possible, the GNTB uses a database-driven supply chain management system, a module of its CIS customer information system. Sophisticated methods of analysing and ranking the demand for brochures create transparency and provide data which makes it easier to plan the distribution for each subsequent season. 80

81 Alongside the supply chain management system for printed materials, the GNTB s customer information system serves as a central address database which enables it to establish and maintain customer relationships. New planning tool for fact-finding tours The CIS customer information system also includes an activity and campaign management module in which all activities relating to fact-finding tours are recorded and managed. The objective is to use more sophisticated analysis methods to optimise the planning and monitoring of projects using a shared GNTB data source with the ultimate goal of ensuring that costs are managed efficiently. The project planning tool was installed in all the GNTB s foreign representative offices and sales and marketing agencies in 2005 and was in use worldwide by 1 January 2006 alongside the address management and supply chain management systems. The CIS customer information system now plays an integrating role in terms of uniform data flows and corporate transparency, with interfaces to our newsletter system and to the new accounting software purchased as part of the transition to the Doppik system. Information about Germany available online at the GNTB web shop The GNTB expanded its online shop in It became operational in autumn 2004 and allows prospective visitors to Germany to select and order certain products online from the GNTB s extensive range of informative material in a variety of languages. In response to the great demand for this service, the GNTB added special information packs for the Spanish and Danish markets to its online shop in autumn 2005, and the country-specific websites for the Netherlands, France, the UK and Ireland were linked to the shop. The GNTB s web shop also has another purpose. Because users place their orders directly via the internet, the GNTB s employee resources are freed up for intensive marketing work in the source markets where they are located. The online service speeds up and reduces the cost of selecting the information, capturing and processing the order information and transmitting it to a mailing house. The Dutch market, for example, has shown that customers respond very positively to the service. Within a year, the number of users had doubled and the web shop had become the most popular method of making an enquiry. The GNTB is planning to include the new service on other market-specific websites. 81

82 6. ADMINISTRATION GNTB FINANCIAL OVERVIEW: SOURCES AND APPROPRIATION OF FUNDS Total income ACTUAL 2005 in I 000 % ACTUAL 2004 in I 000 % ACTUAL 2003 in I 000 % Income from services 6, % 5, % 6, % Grants from the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology 24, % 23, % 23, % Grants from the Federal States 1, % 1, % 1, % Grants and contributions from members % % % Income from GNTB budget 33, % 31, % 31, % Income from special projects 839 1,222 Total income (consolidated) 34,050 31,629 33,147 Expenditure ACTUAL 2005 in I 000 % ACTUAL 2004 in I 000 % ACTUAL 2003 in I 000 % Personnel expenditure for marketing and administration 9, % 9, % 10, % Other operating expenses 3, % 3, % 3, % Capital expenditure % % % Marketing costs 20, % 18, % 17, % Expenditure from GNTB budget 33, % 31, % 31, % Expenditure on special projects 839 1, FINANCIAL INFORMATION The GNTB s budget for 2005 of D 33.2 million was approximately D 1.6 million higher than that of the previous year, a 5.0% increase. In addition to an increase of D 976,000 (4.2%) in the grant from the German federal government, the rise in the income from our own sources to D 6.3 million (up by 8.5%) made a considerable contribution to our higher level of income. Grants and contributions from members rose as a result of new members joining the organisation. The structural change on the expenditure side is particularly welcome. Pure marketing expenditure (excluding personnel costs) reached the record level of D 20.1 million, and its proportion of total expenditure broke the 60 per cent barrier for the first time. This means that more funds than ever were made available for the global promotion of Germany as a travel destination. This achievement was based on the continuation of our worldwide programme to reduce personnel and operating costs. Despite the significant expansion in marketing with more sales and advertising campaigns, year-on-year savings were achieved once again on personnel costs, bringing them down to just 29.7 per cent of total costs. The global programme to review our premises enabled us to reduce expenditure on rents and leases by 5.8 per cent compared to the previous year. Although the effects of budgetary savings in 2005 were partially offset by one-off payments for maintenance and alterations, the reduction in costs going forward will have a positive effect on future years budgets. Other operating costs were cut year on year to 9.3 percent of total costs, despite worldwide increases in energy costs. The backlog in capital expenditure was cleared and IT systems and infrastructure were replaced and brought up to date wherever necessary. In 2005, the GNTB s financial management team focused on developing and revising administrative processes. The creation of a central office for awarding contracts and the development of a purchasing policy helped to optimise the process of awarding contracts to suppliers. The planned time-management system to capture hours worked on projects by GNTB employees entered its trial stage in the fourth quarter of During the trial period, the hours worked over a period of three months were recorded and analysed. In future, the in-house cost-allocation system is intended to enhance transparency and improve analysis methods used in the cost accounting system. Going forward, there will be clear principles for calculating the cost of projects undertaken with cooperation partners and partner organisations. The purchase of state-ofthe-art financial software which recognises both up and downstream financial processes assisted in the reorganisation of the cost accounting system. The new software will also improve and speed up activity-based financial reporting by all of the GNTB s departments and offices. The financial management department also created an integrated tendering and order processing software program. This additional feature aims to provide a financial perspective on customer management and to enable the key performance indicators for the GNTB s global activities to be captured and analysed as part of an integrated data warehouse system. 82

83 OUTLOOK FOR 2006: MIS MANAGE- MENT INFORMATION SYSTEM In 2006, the GNTB is planning to complete the roll-out of its financial software and to integrate the tendering and order processing modules. This should enhance analysis options and support the management of business processes. Creating an interface with the CIS customer information system will pave the way for setting up the management information system. BREAKDOWN OF GNTB COSTS 70 % 60 % 50 % 40 % % 20 % % % Personnel expenditure for marketing and administration Other operating expenses Capital expenditure Marketing costs