SouthWest German Tourism, encouraged by the tremendous response from the Indian market, is now aiming at 200,000 overnights by the end of 2015, a 20 per cent increase over 2014 which saw 165,000 overnights from India. This information was provided by Hector D’Souza, Director – India, SouthWest German Tourism at a press conference held recently in Mumbai.
Calling the current period ‘The Year of the Indian Traveller’, D’Souza stated that India is the second fastest growing market for the region, with January to March 2015 alone notching a 35 per cent increase in footfall. The region has already recorded 40,000 overnights from the market in the first quarter of the year, which is the off season for the Indian traveller, he added.
“With the strengthening of the Rupee against the Euro, travel to South West Germany has seen an increase from India. The shift in foreign exchange rates has given the INR a boost of 15 per cent, leaving Indian travellers with 15 per cent more to spend on their visits. We therefore need to encourage more footfall to Europe, especially South West Germany,” said Michael Siebert, Consul General, Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Siebert further revealed that, post the high travel season out of India, Germany will see the addition of the biometric system to it’s visa application process, a move that is being made compulsory for all Schengen countries. The biometric, he added, will be valid for 59 months, eliminating the additional move for repeat visitors for the period.
SouthWest German Tourism’s training programme, going-cuckoo.com has registered 475 qualified specialists for South West Germany, with another 1,500 agents registered for the programme. The Board is also running a contest to award two lucky winners with trips to the region.
Speaking about the segments that have seen high traction from India, D’Souza stated that MICE footfall has been high to Germany owing to the industrial belt in the region, and the segment is a big contributor to footfall to South West Germany. However, efforts remain focused on attracting leisure travellers. “We want to highlight the fun side of South West Germany and show visitors that they could drive through a beautiful landscape without even realising they are crossing an industrial area,” he added.
D’Souza and Siebert also took the opportunity to felicitate Om Prakash, Director, In ORBIT Tours, for his dedication to selling South West Germany to the India market through his career spanning 43 years. Having recently completed his 100th visit to Germany this year, Prakash, thanking SouthWest German Tourism for the honour, called the region one of the best places to visit in Germany.
