Germany is fast closing on its pre-pandemic inbound arrivals from India. Germany recorded 826,703 overnight stays from the Indian market last year – a growth of 32.6 per cent over the previous year.
“There has been a recovery of 85 per cent in overnight stays from India in 2023 compared to the 2019 level. We are hoping to record around one million Indian overnight stays in Germany by the end of this year,” said Romit Theophilus, director of marketing & sales office – India, German National Tourist Office (GNTO) while addressing a press conference in New Delhi on April 30.
This year, Germany is looking to increase the visibility of its 52 UNESCO World Heritage sites in the Indian market besides promoting its various scenic and cultural experiences.
“Germany is placed third worldwide with the highest number of UNESCO sites after Italy and China. We want to promote experiences like The Coastal Route wherein eight UNESCO sites like Wadden Sea, Stralsund and Bremen are covered in nine days,” added Theophilus.
Presently 52 per cent of Indian tourist arrivals to Germany are for holiday trips while 39 per cent are for business trips. “Earlier, Germany was primarily known as a business destination. However, the perspective has changed in the last five to seven years with a strong leisure movement. There has also been an increase in the average length of stay of Indian travellers from three days to five to seven days,” added Theophilus.
The education travel segment is also growing strongly for Germany.
“There has been a rise in the number of Indian students in Germany over the last few years. Indian students in Germany are now the largest group of foreign students in the country. This, we expect, will result in increasing VFR movement from India to Germany,” said Georg Enzweiler, deputy head of mission at the German Embassy.
GNTO also plans to embark upon consumer initiatives and joint promotion with travel trade this year to increase tourist arrivals from India.
