Working on the German market gives quite an impressive view on how the whole world is competing to attract the German tourist to their own destinations. Even in 2010, Germany, the so called “world travel champion”, confirmed its position as the top spender in leisure and business trips.
Every possible strategy is developed and millions are spent in advertising campaigns. Nevertheless, to a certain extent, Germany remains largely traditional in its approach to advertising. For instance, if the social media are generally taking a wider part in the marketing strategies, on the German market their influence is definitely less relevant than elsewhere. The general public tends to be faithful to its own choices, sometimes visiting the same tourist destination for generations. Certainly it is quite difficult to define a linear or a trend strategy on such a market, a mix of best practices remains a viable solution.
Even if, in gathering travel information, internet use has reached the widest majority of the population, to some extent certain target groups still search a human contact in order to place the final choice. For this reason fairs play a very important role and some among the most successful tourism exhibitions in the world take place in Germany. It is quite common to visit a fair as a family Sunday event.
Press work plays a very important role in a country where newspapers and magazines are widely spread and are generally considered authoritative. Therefore a good article often motivates more people than web 2.0 strategies. The organization of press and fam trips has for this reason a paramount importance in order to convey the “destination experience” to the media and the travel trade.
The need of comprehensive information before making any destination choice means that it is not always an easy task to motivate a client to change its habits for something new. To communicate new facts about a well known destination or to try leading a costumer towards a new one involves proficient writing and a good mix between advertorial and advertising techniques. The Germans need to feel safe and to prepare a trip thoroughly in order to minimize potential risks, meaning also not to find themselves in an unfamiliar situation without knowing how to react.
Despite the complexity this market might present, working in Germany is highly rewarding especially in terms of general public faithfulness. Once convinced, and positively impressed, the German will probably keep coming back to a tourist destination and spread the news among his acquaintances.
By Maggioni Tourist Marketing