Herrenhausen lights up the Germany Travel Mart (GTM)

Following a successful start to the tourism year and appearances at trade shows such as the Vakantiebeurs in Utrecht, the Vakantiesalon in Brussels, the Ferie vor alle in Herning (Denmark), and the ITB in Berlin, the city partnership “die_9 Städte in Niedersachsen” is now showcasing itself at the GTM in Erfurt and Weimar. With large-format posters, Braunschweig, Celle, Göttingen, Goslar, Hameln, Hannover, Hildesheim, Lüneburg, and Wolfenbüttel—together with the Autostadt in Wolfsburg—are whetting visitors’ appetites for this year’s diverse cultural experiences around the trade fair grounds and at the main train stations.

As a cultural beacon of Lower Saxony, the festively illuminated Herrenhausen Gardens serve as the main motif of the poster campaign. Images from the other member cities complement the poster design—and encourage visitors to explore Hildesheim, which is celebrating its 1,200th anniversary in 2015 with numerous events; to take a detour to Autostadt with its world-class Movimentos Festival; or to take a short trip to Goslar with its International Music Festival and International Piano Days. The guide “festlich! Cultural Experiences 2015” provides an overview of the numerous cultural events in the nine cities and can be downloaded from the nine cities’ newly redesigned, responsive website at www.9staedte.de.

International Marketing Plan for 2015/2016 Approved

“By focusing primarily on urban and cultural tourism, the member cities are making a clear commitment to Lower Saxony as a travel destination,” explains Hans Christian Nolte, spokesperson for the nine cities and managing director of Hannover Marketing und Tourismus GmbH (HMTG). 

Activities are planned for 2015/2016 in the Scandinavian countries of Sweden and Denmark, in neighboring Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland, and Switzerland, as well as in the United Kingdom and Spain.

Following the GTM, where representatives from the nine cities will present their product ranges to an international audience of industry professionals from around 45 countries, efforts to tap into European markets will continue immediately. With the DZT Central Europe Workshop in Leipzig, the DZT Northern Europe Workshop in Reykjavik, and the DZT Trade Workshop Northern Germany in Amsterdam, numerous other high-profile industry events are on the agenda this year.

In addition, the nine cities in Lower Saxony are actively engaged in social media and blogger relations. In recent months, numerous national and international bloggers have visited these cities to report on urban, youth-oriented, and personalized tourism. More blogger trips are in the works.

In addition, the city partnership is active year-round in the Netherlands and Belgium through print and online publications, FAM trips, B2B newsletters, and much more. The member cities have also put together a package of initiatives for Switzerland, including newspaper inserts, publications, newsletters, and billboard advertising. For the British market, a partnership with Germanwings is being considered. A collaboration with the Polish travel agency chain TSS Polska, which has over 600 travel agencies, is intended to attract visitors from the neighboring country to the nine cities. In targeting the Swedish market, the focus is on participating in the DZT campaign on the theme of tradition and customs, while in Denmark, a Christmas market supplement in the Danish daily newspaper Jydske Vestkysten and a partnership with the Danish Automobile Club are planned. Joint marketing activities in other countries, such as Spain, are also on the agenda.

The “die_9 Städte in Niedersachsen” marketing partnership has been in existence for over 30 years. Since 1984, Braunschweig, Celle, Göttingen, Goslar, Hameln, Hannover, Hildesheim, Lüneburg, and Wolfenbüttel have been promoting themselves jointly, particularly in neighboring European countries. In 2010, the Autostadt in Wolfsburg joined the partnership. The primary goal of these activities is to raise awareness of Lower Saxony as a cultural hub and to increase visitor numbers and overnight stays in the member cities through targeted outreach, advertising, and the recruitment of travel agents and end consumers.

Published: April 28, 2015

Contact:
The 9 Cities in Lower Saxony
c/o Hannover Marketing und Tourismus GmbH
Vahrenwalder Straße 7
D - 30165 Hannover
Tel.: +49-(0)511-123490-13
E-mail: 9cities@hannover-tourismus.de / presse@hannover-marketing.deInternet:  www.9staedte.de or www.9cities.de