TORONTO — Three out of four Canadian travellers to Germany are leisure travellers and the average stay from this market is 11 nights. Germany is a destination that can be very profitable for retail agents in Canada.
The German National Tourist Office is getting set for a big 2017, highlighted in an event held at Berkeley Church in downtown Toronto last night. The big focus for 2017 is on special events and celebrations to help sell this European destination to clients.
With 400 million Protestants worldwide (around 5.8% of the population), the 500-year anniversary of Martin Luther’s reformation is a key campaign for the tourist office. For history buffs, there are eight tours through key events of the reformation and special places in Luther’s history. For more information, go to germany.travel/en/specials/luther/luther.html.
For Canadians, the biggest event is the upcoming Ice Hockey World Cup to be hosted by both Germany and France. Taking place in May, hockey fans will be able to see games in either Cologne or Paris.
Berlin is expecting two million visitors this year for the 2017 International Garden Show in Berlin held only every 10 years. The show runs April 13 – Oct. 15. The exhibition space will see a doubling of the area currently occupied by the internationally acclaimed Gardens of the World in Berlin-Marzahn, and it will also include parts of the Wuhle valley as well as Mount Kienberg. The extensive park grounds of around 100 hectares represent one of the largest urban development projects of the decade. Berlin expects to have welcomed around two million visitors from Germany and the rest of Europe.
The exhibition spaces created for the IGA will provide a lasting legacy with new green spaces, says the GNTO. After the IGA, Gardens of the World will return to being an attractive destination for affordable day trips. The new Mount Kienberg Park and the site in Wuhle valley will be open to the public for free as additional recreation areas.
The city of Kassel will be the home to the documenta 14 festival, considered one of the foremost exhibitions of modern and contemporary art. The festival runs only every five years and in 2017 it will run June 10 – Sept. 17 with exhibits, installations, lectures and performances by over 300 participants.
Lufthansa also has lots to celebrate with last year marking the airline’s 60th anniversary of service in Canada and the 20th anniversary of the joint venture with Air Canada. Hans DeHaan, Director Canada, Lufthansa Group declared that it was also the year of digitalization with improvements in WiFi for short to mid-range flights, a new customer service app, a new Virtual Reality video, the retirement of newspapers for E-Journals and Lufthansa’s Flying Lab which performs experiments such as a fashion show in the air.
The airline has also had big success with its premium economy product which offers 50% more space, two bag allowance, meals served on china, welcome drink, larger screen, amenity kit, bottle of water and access to the Lufthansa lounge (for a fee).
