Double Reason to Celebrate: Hanover Celebrates 30 Years of the “9 Cities” and 300 Years of the Personal Union (March 4, 2014)

At this year’s International Tourism Exchange (ITB) in Berlin, Hanover has two reasons to celebrate: Lower Saxony’s successful marketing partnership, “the 9 Cities in Lower Saxony,” is marking its 30th anniversary. In 1984, the alliance of historic cities made its first public appearance at the ITB; now, the partnership can look back on three decades of joint activities across Europe. In addition, Hanover is celebrating the 300th anniversary of the personal union this year. The 123-year period during which the Electorate of Hanover and the Kingdom of Great Britain were united by a common monarch is the occasion for a wide range of celebrations and events—which are bringing plenty of British flair to Lower Saxony’s capital.

"2014 will be an exciting year for tourism, offering royal splendor, a British atmosphere, and a variety of top-notch events that invite visitors to explore and get to know the Hannover vacation region and the surrounding cities," says Hans Christian Nolte, managing director of Hannover Marketing und Tourismus GmbH (HMTG).

30 meets 300

Things will get “very British,” for example, at the Lower Saxony State Exhibition “Hanover’s Rulers on the English Throne, 1714–1837,” at CeBIT—with the United Kingdom as the partner country—or at the Herrenhausen International Fireworks Competition, featuring a British team. Exciting exhibitions, concerts, and cultural events—such as a specially composed opera, a fashion show, a Hanover-British race day, and an English garden festival—will also bring to life the era when the royals came from Hanover. The Union Jack will also be flying in many other cities in Lower Saxony, such as Celle, to mark the royal anniversary.

Of course, the 300th anniversary of the Personal Union will also be a focus at ITB. The member cities of the “9 Cities” marketing partnership, led by Hanover, are not only providing information about the Year of British Culture at their booths in Hall 6.2a; the joint brochure “Cultural Experiences 2014,” released just in time for the ITB, has a print run of 85,000 copies and is sparking interest in stately cultural experiences throughout Germany.

Birthday advertisement

And the 30th anniversary of the 9 Cities is also impossible to miss during ITB: More than 20 large-format posters at Berlin’s main train station and at S-Bahn stations throughout Berlin draw attention to the member cities and the Autostadt. In addition, floor posters at the train stations serving the trade show and at the hall entrances invite visitors to stop by the booth. The poster campaign is accompanied by an advertising campaign, including ads in the DB timetable “Ihr Reiseplan,” with a print run of 750,000 copies. A brochure published specifically for ITB will be available on the opening day, March 5, with a print run of approximately 22,500 copies distributed on ICE trains throughout Germany. It will also be distributed at 300 Berlin hotels and on the fairgrounds.

Succeeding Together: The 9 Cities

Under the name “die_9 Städte in Niedersachsen,” Braunschweig, Celle, Göttingen, Goslar, Hameln, Hannover, Hildesheim, Lüneburg, and Wolfenbüttel have been jointly promoting urban tourism in Lower Saxony since 1984, particularly in neighboring European countries. In 2011, the Autostadt in Wolfsburg joined the partnership. “The member cities are the cornerstone of tourism in Lower Saxony and cultural ambassadors in other European countries,” says Hans Christian Nolte, who also serves as spokesperson for the 9 cities.

This is also reflected in the consistently high number of overnight stays in the member cities. In 2013, overnight stays by international visitors rose by 1.3 percent compared to the previous year. In Hanover, despite the sometimes challenging economic situation in other European countries, the number of overnight stays by international visitors actually increased by 2.2 percent. “Hanover is proving to be a strong destination for trade shows and conventions,” Nolte says with satisfaction.

With a total of 2.08 million overnight stays by domestic and international guests, the capital of Lower Saxony has once again surpassed the Expo record of 2.03 million overnight stays, which was first broken in 2011. 

Photos for editorial use, as well as additional press information and
articles, can be found at www.hannover.de/presse_hmtg and www.9staedte.de.

All information about your stay in Hanover is available at www.visit-hannover.com and www.hannover-tourismus.de.

You can find photos related to the Year of Britain in Hanover on the press portal at http://www.presseportal.de/pm/42831/2629203/very-british-hannover-steht-2014-ganz-im-zeichen-des-union-jack-foto