Business tourism in Germany under the banner of sustainability
Whether for individual business and leisure travellers or for MICE activities, the German tourist office's strategy is to promote the sustainability of travel across the Rhine. This is the strong message hammered home by Bénédicte Richer, Director of France at the German National Tourist Office ONAT.
By Luc Citrinot -
Berlin is the number one destination for French people in Germany for both business and leisure, with 600,000 overnight stays in 2024 (Photo: Luc Citrinot)
" We are a nature and culture destination, but one with a strong urban identity due to Germany's decentralisation." . This description, as told by the Director of ONAT in France, Bénédicte Richer, makes Germany an excellent alternative for MICE organisers and French business travellers.
Béatrice Richer, Director of the German Tourist Office in France (Photo: LC)
Germany enjoys a very good image as a tourist destination. In 2024, the country maintained its position as one of the world's top tourist destinations. second favourite destination for French travellerswith 3.7 million...
" We are a nature and culture destination, but one with a strong urban identity due to Germany's decentralisation." . This description, as told by the Director of ONAT in France, Bénédicte Richer, makes Germany an excellent alternative for MICE organisers and French business travellers.
Béatrice Richer, Director of the German Tourist Office in France (Photo: LC)
Germany enjoys a very good image as a tourist destination. In 2024, the country maintained its position as one of the world's top tourist destinations. second favourite destination for French travellerswith 3.7 million overnight stays.
La France remains the fifth largest emitting market for Germany. The top destinations for French travellers: Baden-Württemberg (28.8% of overnight stays), Bavaria (18.4%) and Berlin (17%). Towns and cities, Berlin remains in the lead with over 600,000 overnight stays in 2024, followed by Munich (287,000 overnight stays) and Frankfurt (165,000 overnight stays)..
The German capital continues to attract large numbers of French visitors, thanks to its history, culture and gastronomy.
Opening the line Direct TGV/ICE between Paris and Berlin via Strasbourg and Frankfurt has stimulated demand from the German metropolis. " Despite the journey time of over 8 hours, the trains are full. This proves that rail is playing an increasingly important role in travel between France and Germany. Rail now accounts for 16% of journeys compared with 11% in 2023" says Bénédicte Richer.
The aircraft takes its place at 24%This percentage is stable compared to 2023, but is still lower than the European average (36%). While the the car still dominates, with a market share of over 51% in France against 57% in 2023. Despite the decline due to competition from rail, this rate remains higher than the European average of 44%.
23 % of French passenger journeys are made for business reasonsThis is slightly higher than the figure for 2023 (22%). This is more than the European average of 21%, proving that Germany remains a key economic partner for France.
Reasons for business travellers to Germany
European business generated 11.9 million trips in 2024 in Germanywith individual passengers accounting for 40% of this total. For France, this figure will be 44% in 2023.. While 'incentive' business travel - i.e. event-related travel - accounted for 53% of all travel in the same year, with a huge difference compared with the rest of Europe. 76% of these French incentive trips were allocated to conferences, congresses and seminars in 2023.
La ONAT's marketing strategy in France is based on the destination sustainabilitywith a communications drive to raise the country's profile as a world-class tourist destination. destination nature with an environmental and inclusive approach. The board is also adopting a digital approach with the use of immersive technologies. This includes virtual, augmented and mixed reality. As well as the use of conversational interfaces (voice assistants) and artificial intelligence (AI) applications such as chatbots. " With our virtual guide Emma, we even have a character who moves her lips when she responds to visitors. Which is unique and very attractive!" confirmed the Director of ONAT...
The exhibition "The Berlin Wall. A world divided" tells the story of what became known as the "Wall of Shame". (Photo: LC)
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