Germany woos culture vultures
With the Ruhr taking the spotlight as European Capital of Culture 2010, Germany is aiming to move visitor numbers upwards after a small dip last year.
Allure of the Ruhr: Once the industrial heartland of Germany, the region has redefined itself as a centre for the arts. Foto: PR
The Creative Germany theme year is centred around the status of the Ruhr region as European cultural capital but aims to cover broader topics and other regions as well. The Ruhr, Germany’s former industrial heartland, has been transformed in recent years into a cultural powerhouse. As European Capital of Culture 2010, the region will explore its heritage at 1,000 industrial monuments and through countless events at more than 200 museums, 100 arts centres, 120 theatres and 100 concert venues, as well as 250 festivals and fairs. Elsewhere, the focus of Creative Germany will be on four themes: fine arts, design, fashion and architecture. Looking ahead, the tourist board will focus on health and fitness holidays next year. This time there will be three themes: spas and health resorts, wellness and beauty hotels, and medical tourism. According to the World Travel Monitor, 415,000 international visitors took a health-related holiday in Germany in 2008. The main source market was Switzerland, accounting for 57% of health-related visits. Germany had a relatively stable year for international tourism in 2009. Visitor numbers dropped just 2.7% per cent, and overnight stays were down 4.6%. The figures were better than average for Europe. Germany is now the joint-third most popular destination for Europeans.
For 2010 and 2011, the tourist board is forecasting overall growth of one to three per cent for overnight stays in Germany. “We turned the corner in October and since then we have seen continued improvement,” said Hedorfer. “However, after a far-reaching structural crisis like this one has been, the road to recovery might prove to be bumpy. We expect the upturn to consolidate in 2011.”
Hall 12, Stand 102
Drucken
Tuesday, 31.08.2010
