Tourism Breaking News
The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) has been recognised by the European Cultural Travel Network (ETCN) for ongoing commitment to placing sustainability at the forefront of its global tourism campaigns. As Germany’s tourism industry experiences an increase in international travel demand, the country’s global brand image has been further enhanced with two major Destination of Sustainable Cultural Tourism Awards 2021 accolades for GNTB campaigns.
Two of Germany’s leading 2021 campaigns were recognised during the ETCN’s annual meeting in Athens. The ‘Feel Good’ campaign took second place in the ‘Walking Tourism and Slow Travel – Synergies with Cultural Tourism’ category, while the ‘Wanderlust Germany’ campaign, aimed at inviting travellers to discover the country’s nature-based highlights through a dedicated walking and cycling tours, won the National Level title in the ‘Special Jury Prize – Assessing the Impact of the Pandemic’ category.
The Destination of Sustainable Cultural Tourism Awards 2021 was co-hosted by European Cultural Tourism Network (ECTN), Europa Nostra, the European Travel Commission (ETC) and the Network of European Regions for a Sustainable and Competitive Tourism (NECSTouR).
“Sustainability has always been a priority and central theme for positioning Germany as an outdoor travel destination. These awards further demonstrate a direct link between Germany’s excellent reputation, and a growing willingness to adapt to sustainable practices,” said Yamina Sofo, Director of Sales and Marketing of the German National Tourist Office. “Our marketing activities and successful recovery strategy for restarting incoming tourism have positioned Germany as the leading travel destination despite the increasingly fierce competition among other destinations.”
According to SiteMinder’s World Hotel Index, hotel bookings for foreign guests in German hotels increased by 30.8 per cent across 400 global hotel booking channels, as of October 2021. In addition, leading market research index, Anholt-Ipsos Nation Brands Index (NBI), has ranked Germany among the top three in its annual rankings. Germany received 71.06 points, 1.94 more than the previous year, to record the highest average score ever recorded in NBI history.
The NBI also determines the leading global concerns of respondents, with critical points in 2021 including the protection of the environment and natural resources, where Germany placed second globally, and health management, where Germany top scored.
Germany’s ‘Feel Good’ campaign aligns with growing global sentiment and urged travellers to explore the sustainable offers in Germany. According to the Sustainable Travel Report from Booking.com, 61 percent of international travellers believe the pandemic has caused them to travel more sustainably.
The German Federal Government announced the easing of COVID-19 travel restrictions for all travellers aged 12 years and above, regardless of individual vaccination status. The announcement ensures travellers from Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates can enter the country with a negative COVID-19 test taken 72 hours before travel. As of November, vaccinated travellers coming in from Germany into the UAE do not need a PCR test.
The EU issues and updates its travel recommendations to member states regularly. The safe list is reviewed and revised every two weeks by the EU authorities and members states.
For full entry requirements to Germany, visitors are advised to refer to www.bmi.bund.de.
