On May 24, the German Tourist Board held a press conference in Tokyo. Mr. Akira Nishiyama, Director General for Asia, German Tourist Office, took the stage to explain the current situation surrounding the German travel and tourism market and the forecast for future recovery following the resumption of overseas travel.
According to Nishiyama, the number of passengers visiting Germany from abroad showed a strong recovery last year, reaching 83% of the pre-Corona disaster level in January-February 2023 this year, compared to the same period in 2019. He said, “Germany is recovering well, in line with the overall global trend.”
Looking at the top 20 foreign visitors to Germany, last year the top 6 countries accounted for about 50% of the total, while the top 15 countries accounted for about 75% of the total (for Japan, by way of comparison, the top 3-4 countries accounted for more than 80%). This makes us proud that Germany is a healthy destination that attracts visitors from all over the world,” said Mr. Nishiyama.
Although the Corona disaster had reduced the number of visitors from Europe to Germany, countries such as Poland, Romania, and Slovakia had more visitors in 2022 than in 2019.
Meanwhile, travel from the Asia-Pacific region has recovered about 47% compared to the same period in 2019. Statistics from January of this year show a recovery to about 60%. The delay was particularly noticeable in the recovery of the Japanese and Chinese markets.
The number of Japanese traveling abroad from January 2022 to March 2023 is slowly increasing, and the number of Japanese traveling from Japan to Germany is growing accordingly. In addition, demand for business travel increased last fall due to the German industry trade fair, and the recovery rate for 2023 has been around 40% since January.
Mr. Nishiyama then explained the status of direct flights between Japan and Germany, with a total of 43 flights per week in the 2023 summer timetable (28 between Tokyo and Frankfurt, 12 between Tokyo and Munich, and 3 between Osaka and Munich). Among them, the important route between Tokyo and Frankfurt has already recovered to 100% of the number of flights as before Corona.
However, he pointed out that the number of Japanese staying in Germany “is undeniably lagging behind when viewed by global standards. Nishiyama cited such factors as “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” “the weak yen,” “skyrocketing airfares,” and “stagnation of average income” as contributing factors, and as a result, “Japanese people’s purchasing power in overseas travel may be declining,” Nishiyama said.
In addition, a major motivation for travel to Germany is interest in history and culture, and the company will target a segment of the population that has some time and money to spare. Until the continuing high cost of travel eases, “our short-term strategy is to continue our policy from last year of marketing through travel agencies that appeal to affluent and high-income travelers,” he said.
However, in January 2023, Germany was highly popular among the younger generation in the “Survey on Attitudes toward Overseas Travel” conducted by the Japan Tourism Agency on 400 Generation Z members nationwide (destinations they would like to visit after Corona). It ranked 6th for women and 9th for men, and both genders ranked it in the top 10.
This is a very positive result for our future,” said Nishiyama. “Even if it is difficult right now, they will return when the situation improves. It is encouraging to see young people in their early 20s taking an interest in addition to the traditional seniors,” he said.
And this year, the German Tourist Office expects “recovery forecast to be 50% of the 2019 level,” and has launched a number of campaigns, including the “UNESCO World Heritage Cross Media Campaign” from June to July, the “Feel Good Campaign” from September to October, and the “Christmas Cross Media Campaign” in November.
The company will promote sustainable tourism in Germany to Japanese travelers and travel businesses by taking advantage of its strengths, such as historical buildings, lush greenery, vibrant urban city sightseeing, and gourmet cuisine.
© Source travel watch
Auto Amazon Links: No products found.
Auto Amazon Links: No products found.