Korean Branch of German National Tourist Board (CEO Nancy Choi) held 'German Travel Week 2017' at Lotte Hotel in Sogong-dong, Seoul in the presence of Korea-Japan general director, Rijkert Kettelhake, who recently announced his retirement, and new general director, Nishiyama Akira.

German Travel Week 2017, organized in the order of the press meeting, seminar and dinner, introduced various promotions that are prepared for standing on the center of Europe travel industry to continue Germany tourism industry's record 2016 year. At the event, the officials from travel industry and media visited, and the opportunity for networking and acquiring basic information for the development of local products in Germany was provided.




The number of travelers to Germany in 2016 has been updated the record for the seventh consecutive year. The number of foreigners staying in Germany from January to December reached about 80.8 million. According to the Federal Statistical Office, the number of days spent by foreigners in accommodations with more than 10 bedrooms grew by 1% over the previous year.

Iris Gleicke, Federal Government Commissioner for Tourism and Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, explained, "Germany has become a popular destination for foreign tourists. The number of travelers to Germany has been on record for seven years. This shows how much the German travel industry has grown. In particular, the continuous attention and the attitude of embracing other cultures were prerequisites for success."

Petra Hedorfer, CEO of German National Tourist Board, stated, "The year 2016 was a special year in which economic factors such as Brexit and recession, and the safety consciousness from the fear of terrorists and was strengthened. Nonetheless, Germany's tourist attractions, excellent infrastructure and services, and reasonable prices have created Germany as a travel-friendly country with world-class brand value."

Also, he said, "Germany has made its brand value as one of the most travelable destinations in Europe. Despite the difficult circumstances, Germany has preserved the first place to be loved by rich cultural elements and different characteristics of each province and city. The communication to group targets and segmented markets based on market analysis and direction of ongoing visitor retention had a significant impact on the growth rate of tourists visiting Germany through customized change and digital strategies."




Germany has established itself as an attractive destination in the European market. According to the latest statistics from IPK, the international tourism data association, 53.7 million Europeans visited Germany in 2016 to travel. This is a 3% increase over the previous year. Germany was ranked as the most beloved city in Europe.

According to the International Tourism Association, the global travel industry grew 4% overall in 2016, despite the changing global trend of travel. Meanwhile, the number of visitors from Asia to Europe has declined.

55% of European tourists spent their vacation in Germany. In 2016, 29.6 million people visited Germany for vacation, which is 3% increased from the previous year. 17.5 million tourists stayed at least 4 nights and had a long holiday in Germany, which is 5% increased from the previous year. Also, 12.1 million tourists, which is 25% increased from the previous year, visited Germany to travel the city.

Business trips to Germany were 5% declined. However, similar to the previous year, 12.8 million among 60.5 million business tourists visited Germany. In particular, the rate of visits to Germany for the fairs fell by 12% and the rate of visits to Germany for the conferences grew by 7%. In addition, Europeans spent € 314 billion on transportation, accommodation, food and shopping during their stay in Germany. This shows a 4% growth in economic value.

Meanwhile, the marketing themes of 2017 include the Luther 500th Anniversary, Documenta 14, IGA, and beautiful scenery. Luther 500th anniversary is expected to be a historic theme in which the promotion over the last decade has peaked. The International Garden Exhibition (IGA), which will be held in major cities such as Berlin and the Documenta 14 with modern art theme, and it is expected to attract tourists interested in art and leisure.

Moreover, the marketing themes after 2018 are announced. In 2018, keeping up with the opening of World Athletics Championships, 'Sports Destination', which has a theme of sports representing Germany such as soccer, and 'German Cuisine' are the two themes. The year 2019 marks the 100th anniversary of Bauhaus and the 200th anniversary of Karl Marx's birth. The year 2020 has a single theme, the 250th anniversary of Beethoven.



Meanwhile, German National Tourist Board (DNTB) has appointed Nishiyama Akira (47) as the representative of Japan branch of DNTB on May 8. With the retirement of Rijkert Kettelhake, who worked with DNTB for 36 years, Nishiyama Akia continues his position as Japan's representative from May 1.

Nishiyama was born in Japan and majored in German Language and Literature and International Politics at Graceland University in Iowa, USA and studied at the University of Ludwig-Maximilian in Munich. In 1994, he started his career as a sales manager at Tokyo branch of DNTB. Since 2008, he had been a marketing director for the Japanese market of DNTB.

Rijkert Kettelhake studied business administration and started work at the London branch of DNTB. Since 1982, he had served as the representative of the Roman branch of DNTB. Since 1992, he had been working in Brussels, and in 1996 he was the representative of the Brussels branch. Since then, he had successfully led the Amsterdam branch for a long time. (Since 1999, he has also been with the Brussels branch.) From 2008, after serving as the representative of Milan branch, he was the representative of Japan.

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