GNTO Starts New Promotion: 'Culinary Germany-More to explore'

DESTINATION GERMANY continues to be one of the most sought after travel destinations for Indians travelling aboard. The country witnessed 8,52,224 visitor overnights in 2017 making for a 13.8 percent growth over 2016. Owing to this steady growth, The German National Tourist Office (GNTO), India forecasts a 5-8 percent growth in visitor overnights for the year 2018.

With experiential travel becoming the most sought after genre in leisure travel, The GNTO, which focusses on theme based marketing, is promoting “Culinary Germany-More to explore” as its core global marketing theme this year. Speaking on the occasion  Romit Theophilus, the Director for India, The German National Tourist Office, India said, “Food forms an integral part of any travelers itinerary. Experiencing the local flavors helps enhance the flavor of any holiday and makes for everlasting impressions. With over 5,000 beers from 1,300 breweries, 300 types of bread, 1,500 types of sausage, 13 wine regions, 292 Michelin-starred restaurants and 3,000 to 5,000 Christmas markets Germany is sure to satiate any travelers appetite. From ‘Pannfisch’ fried fish in the north to green sauce and ‘Bratwurst’ sausages in Central Germany to dumplings, ‘Maultaschen’ pasta pockets and ‘Eisbein’ ham hock in the South- German Cuisine is as diverse as the countries varied landscape.”

According to the Quality Monitor survey of the German tourism industry, four percent of international holidaymakers come to Germany specifically for the variety and quality of its food and drink. The sector, therefore, contributes at least 3.2 million overnight stays to Germany’s inbound tourism. 53 percent of holidaymakers from abroad say that going to restaurants and cafés is one of their favourite things to do –besides sightseeing and ahead of visiting museums/exhibitions. 40 percent  of international guests like to experience typical regional cuisine while on holiday in Germany. The GNTB has defined the campaign’s target audience based on the findings of the GlobalWebIndex – which pools data from surveys of internet users based in 40 countries.