TORONTO — “Canadian friends, our hearts and gates are open to you.”

That’s the message from Burkhard Kieker, CEO, Visit Berlin, for Canadian travellers and, for that matter, the Canadian travel industry.

It’s a key point for these tumultuous times, and perfectly encapsulated in Visit Berlin’s new Canada-specific campaign, featuring a bear (the symbol of Berlin) and a beaver sharing a friendly hug at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate, with the slogan ‘Come for a hug. Visit Berlin.’

The 15-second clip also notes that Canadians can fly direct to Berlin, and those flights are courtesy Air Transat.

Visit Berlin, represented in Canada by VoX International, hosted a lunch yesterday at Sassafraz in downtown Toronto, along with partner Air Transat.

“BERLIN IS THE CITY OF FREEDOM”

“Why are we here? We come to Canada frequently, but when we read all the news happening here, we thought we should go see our friends,” said Kieker.

Well aware of the tensions that have many Canadians looking for new travel destinations this year, Kieker said, “Our gates and hearts truly are open. You have a lot of friends out there and we all need to stick together.”

He then jokingly extended an invitation for Canada to join the European Union.

Kieker, a former journalist, was part of history on Nov. 9, 1989 when the Berlin Wall fell, covering the story and then welcoming fellow Berliners, crying with happiness as they took their first steps from the east to the west. He was wearing a leather jacket that night and it has salt stains from the tears of everyone who hugged him.

“If you want to experience history from the 20th century, for good and for bad, you can find it in Berlin,” he said.

So many of Berlin’s visitors – the city is now #3 behind London and Paris – come to experience that history, and Berlin is more than happy to have them.

“What is the brand of Berlin? What is the core of our personality? Freedom. Berlin is the city of freedom. It’s the city that brought down a dictatorship. It’s possible, and these days it’s a very important message,” said Kieker.

“After the wall came down, we developed another kind of freedom,” he added. “You can develop your own lifestyle in this city. You can be whoever you want to be. So Berlin is not only about political freedom, but freedom of lifestyle too.”

This city of 4 million people wears its history on its sleeve. At the Brandenburg Gate, there are bullet holes from the time of the Nazis. While some cities might want to plaster over those bullet holes, Berlin “is living history, and has to show its wounds,” he said.

Berlin is also known as the cool capital of Europe, and there’s never any shortage of events. Circled on the calendar are: Berlin Freedom Week, Nov. 8 – 15; Festival of Lights, Oct. 8-15; the 200th anniversary of Museum Island; and the Berlin Marathon, Sept. 21. Berlin also has the most Michelin-starred restaurants of any city in Germany.

“Berlin is 24/7. Whenever you come you find what you’re looking for,” said Kieker.

Agents will want to make sure clients have the Berlin Welcome Card, an all inclusive pass that offers free transport on all public transport for 3, 5 or 7 days, plus free entrance to 27 top sightseeing spots. Starting at $150, it’s represents a value of $700.

In 2024 some 50,500 Canadian travellers visited Berlin, an increase of 10.7% year over year. The average stay from this market is three nights.

Air Transat’s service linking Toronto and Berlin, first announced in December 2024, kicks off in just a few weeks on June 19.

Jhadyd Gonzales, National Sales Manager, Air Transat, noted yesterday that Air Transat is the only Canadian airline with direct nonstop flights from Canada to Berlin.

“Service starts June 19 with twice weekly flights through the summer on our A321 neoLRs, on Sundays and Thursdays,” said Gonzales. “For now this is only seasonal service, scheduled to end Oct. 24, but the bookings are going very very well so hopefully we’ll extend the service like we’re doing with other European cities.”

Gonzales added that Air Transat’s flights are night flights arriving in the morning, making for perfect timing. “Try the Club Class, but book early, because with only 12 seats per flight Club Class sells out quickly,” he said.

“Berlin remains one of Europe’s most visited cities, and it was clearly underserved. There’s a lot of demand for Berlin,” he added.