SAXONY IS WELL PREPARED TO WELCOME TOURISTS IN 2022
Looking forward to a successful tourism year 2022, Saxony launches numerous initiatives for tourism promotion, including a new joint campaign with Deutsche Bahn starting in May and the “Saxony Travel Summit” planned for September.
Saxony‘s tourism experts have started the year 2022 optimistically in view of the increasing demand for holidays in the Free State of Saxony. The demand is stimulated by a comprehensive package of measures for tourism promotion at home and abroad by the Tourismus Marketing Gesellschaft Sachsen (TMGS).
The international travel world comes to Saxony
The package includes two major events for international travel buyers. Together with the German National Tourist Board (DZT), TMGS is planning the “Saxony Travel Summit” workshop from September 11 to 15. The event will bring together around 100 international travel buyers from the USA and from ten European countries, including Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Great Britain and the Netherlands with approximately 50 partners from Saxony’s tourism industry. Beside a congress in Dresden, numerous excursions will take place around Saxony’s holiday regions. On September 16, the four-day US Advisory Board Meeting will take place. It is organised annually by the German National Tourist Office New York in a different federal state in Germany. Both events will introduce new destinations to key tour planners and agents of the travel industry.
“We are delighted that we have succeeded in bringing these high-profile events to Saxony in cooperation with the DZT. We will use this opportunity to give a lasting international appeal for Saxony as a holiday destination,” highlights Saxony’s Tourism Minister Barbara Klepsch.
And even more measures will lure international markets. These include advertising campaigns with traditional and online media as well as a poster campaign in large cities in the most important European target markets. “Advertising abroad is particularly important after the decrease of international guests due to covid-19. As we believe that German guests, who have often spent their holidays in their own country in the past two years, will again travel abroad, we must balance by attracting foreign tourists to Saxony,” explains Veronika Hiebl, Managing Director of TMGS.
Good arguments for holidays in one’s own country
After Saxony was able to profit from the trend towards holidays in Germany in the past two years, TMGS would like to capitalize on that success this year. As surveys point that combining nature with art and culture experiences is very popular with guests, Saxony feels ideally positioned to capitalize on that trend.
These include active holidays such as the Blockline for mountain bike fans in the Eastern Ore Mountains or new cycling adventures in the lake regions in Lusatia and around Leipzig. Theme travels include as well special anniversaries: 450th anniversary of Augustusburg Castle in the Ore Mountains, 300th anniversary of Bernardo Bellotto, alias Canaletto, 300 years of Meissen porcelain Blue Swords mark as well as 125th anniversary of Herrnhut’s Christmas Stars in Upper Lusatia. In addition, there are renowned music festivals and other events throughout the State.
Promoting sustainable mobility
Rail promotion is at the heart of TMGS campaign to boost sustainability. In May an advertising campaign with Germany ‘s rail Deutsche Bahn promotes city tourism. “The campaign with Deutsche Bahn is an expression of the change among tourists to increasingly use sustainable mobility offers for holiday trips as well,” explains TMGS’ Veronika Hiebl.
Another example is Saxon Switzerland, a national park in the Elbe valley south-east of Dresden. Since April, holidaymakers in the region can use a mobile guest card to travel by bus and train without buying a ticket. “Sustainability is seen as an important and holistic issue. The Free State of Saxony works on developing a strategic framework on sustainability in tourism in Saxony under the leadership of TMGS. This involves creating networks and platforms even beyond the tourism sector,” stresses Tourism Minister Barbara Klepsch.
