Partnership Promotes Bus Trip to Hanover and the Autostadt (October 9, 2013)

Three partners, one joint product: Hannover Marketing und Tourismus GmbH (HMTG), Autostadt in Wolfsburg, and the tour operator Hafermann Reisen are joining forces to launch a cross-city advertising partnership. They are promoting a bus tour specially designed for the Christmas season, featuring overnight accommodations, a city tour, and a visit to the Christmas market in Hannover, as well as an excursion to the Autostadt in Wolfsburg with its Alpine-style winter market and a visit to the ice dance shows choreographed specifically for the Autostadt.

Starting on October 11, approximately 300 large-format posters featuring atmospheric images of the Hannover Christmas market and the winter wonderland of Autostadt will draw attention to the offer in cities such as Essen, Bochum, Düsseldorf, Gelsenkirchen, and Wuppertal. The poster campaign will be complemented by an advertising campaign in high-circulation daily newspapers in North Rhine-Westphalia. The offer can be booked through Hafermann Reisen—one of the leading travel agencies in North Rhine-Westphalia.

“I’m a big fan of both Hannover and the Autostadt,” says Meinhold Hafermann, managing director of Hafermann Reisen. Hannover has been part of his itinerary since 1997, and the Autostadt since it opened in 2000. “This combination is a great product. The two destinations complement each other very well.”

Hans Christian Nolte, managing director of HMTG, agrees: “Our goal is to bring together attractive events in the region and appeal to a broad audience. These kinds of cross-city offerings encourage people to take a trip that includes an overnight stay in the capital of Lower Saxony.”

Hannover Marketing und Tourismus GmbH, which is responsible for the regional marketing of the 21 municipalities in the Region Hannover, has long been active in recruiting and supporting bus tour operators. Just last April, the marketing and tourism agency launched an advertising campaign in cooperation with the Lower Saxony Transport Industry Association (GVN) in cities across Lower Saxony. In addition, it showcases the Hannover region at national and international trade fairs and workshops such as the RDA and offers bus tour operators not only its own brochure but also a dedicated website with information, special offers, packages, modules, and guided tours to help them design their Hannover itinerary. It is available at www.hannover.de/bus. Regular mailings—currently to bus tour operators in neighboring European countries—fam trips, and publications in bus travel magazines round out these activities.

“Coach tour operators will find attractive conditions and offers in Hanover for one-day or multi-day tours. Thanks to its central location, the city is ideal both as a stopover destination and as a day-trip destination,” Nolte concludes.

The Autostadt in Wolfsburg has a very successful partnership with the bus tourism industry and, as an automotive theme and adventure park, has become one of Germany’s most popular tourist destinations. “Today’s travelers expect their bus tour operators to come up with new and creative ideas time and again. Combining different destinations and itineraries in this way consistently results in interesting travel packages. Hanover and the Autostadt in Wolfsburg complement each other perfectly,” says Jens Totschnig, Head of Sales and Tourism at the Autostadt.

Hafermann Reisen, based in Witten, North Rhine-Westphalia, has a tradition dating back over 100 years and will soon be run by the fourth generation of the family. The company employs 40 people and serves 50,000 travelers each year. Hafermann Reisen is one of the leading travel companies in North Rhine-Westphalia. Its portfolio of offerings is wide-ranging, extending from city and musical tours to round-trip and study tours, as well as opera and festival tours, all the way to scenic tours, club tours, and river cruises.