“9 Cities + 1”: Internationalization, Digitalization, and Security

Braunschweig, Celle, Göttingen, Goslar, Hameln, Hannover, Hildesheim, Lüneburg, Wolfenbüttel, and the Autostadt in Wolfsburg are increasingly turning to digital media. Other current topics were on the agenda.

For “9 Cities + 1,” the 2018 season begins as early as the start of January with a presentation at the Vakantiebeurs in Utrecht, the Netherlands’ largest travel fair. However, the action plan recently adopted for next year isn’t limited to traditional tourism marketing; digital media, in particular, is increasingly becoming the focus of their activities. Hans Nolte, spokesperson for the partnership and managing director of Hannover Marketing & Tourismus GmbH, explains: “We are embracing the challenge of multichannel marketing and striving to reach our customers through various media—from print to Web 2.0—in a way that’s tailored to each target audience.” Extensive packages of measures have been approved for the Netherlands, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Poland, and Switzerland, as well as throughout Scandinavia.

Facebook campaigns in the Netherlands, Denmark, and Poland had already achieved significant reach this year. More than 20 international travel bloggers have reported on the cities’ highlights. The success of these activities is evident not only in the current overnight stay figures (as of September, the cities have recorded a 3.7 percent increase from domestic visitors and a 5.8 percent increase from international visitors this year) but also in the many international guests at the Christmas markets. Bus groups from neighboring European countries are currently filling the hotels.

It is no coincidence, then, that the managing directors of the tourism organizations took advantage of their conference in Hamelin to visit the Christmas market there, and that the meeting’s agenda included a topic outside the scope of marketing planning: a discussion of safety concepts for large-scale events. Harald Wanger, host and managing director of Hameln Marketing und Tourismus GmbH, reports that there was a lively discussion on this topic. It is particularly important for international guests to know that their safety is guaranteed when visiting these cities. More than 10 million guests attend major events in these cities every year.

Working together for over 30 years

The “9 Cities + 1 in Lower Saxony” marketing partnership was founded 33 years ago. The Autostadt in Wolfsburg has been a strategic partner since 2011.  The city partnership is active in neighboring European countries. In addition to exhibiting at travel fairs and trade events, the partnership promotes itself in target markets through targeted campaigns. By collaborating with strategic partners such as tour operators, ferry lines, and airlines, the partnership reaches additional target groups and taps into new distribution channels. In addition to a multilingual website, brochures are available in a total of 13 languages. These brochures are not only distributed locally in international markets but are also used at tourist information centers and on the websites of member cities as informational resources for visitors from around the world.