Newstrack

GNTO to target leisure market

Anupama Sushil - New Delhi

The German National Tourist Office (GNTO) wants to create more awareness about the destination in India and promote the country as a leisure destination. Speaking to Express TravelWorld, Romit Theophilus, its India Representative, said that Germany was mainly promoted to business travellers but it now wants to present itself as a leisure destination.

Brand awareness remains GNTO's main focus and it will therefore look at organising and participating in events that will facilitate this. Educating the trade will be the most important activity for the year, said Theophilus, adding it would encourage joint advertising with the agents. GNTO will also promote and support the smaller travel agencies. Other commercial initiatives would mean newer marketing initiatives through cinemas, television shows and print media.

India plans will include a focus on 10 German cities starting with Berlin promoted as the political and cultural capital, Frankfurt as a city of contrasts, Cologne as the art capital on the Rhine, fashion capital Düsseldorf and centre of culture on the Rhine, Hannover as a trade fair venue and garden city, and the cities of Munich, Stuttgart, Dressden and Leipzig. There are many new tours that are now being introduced into India for the leisure market, Theophilus stated, including the Romantic Road which is a combination of nature, culture and hospitality than runs 350 kilometres along the river Main and through the Franconian wine country to the Alps, and the German Fairytale Route.

Other initiatives include an India-specific site that will be launched at the end of this year and the German Travel Mart that will be held this April. There will also be a great deal of focus on Germany as a MICE destination, which will boost its GITs and FITs market, Theophilus added.