around 500 representatives from the international tourism industry from 51 countries will be in Wiesbaden for the 45th GTM Germany Travel MartTM from the 12th – 14th May. The GTM is organised annually by the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) in cooperation with varying partner regions and partner cities. This year, the state capital of Hesse is hosting the event for the third time (previously 1977 and 2005).
The GTM is the most important B2B-platform for the German incoming tourism. The heart of the event is the two day workshop in the RheinMain CongressCenter which was newly opened in 2018. Around 300 suppliers from the hotel industry, transportation, plus local and regional tourism organisations attend. They will be presenting their offers to the international audience of travel trade professionals, comprising around 500 key account managers from the international tourism industry, plus media representatives from significant source markets for the incoming tourism in Germany. Participants will be able to establish new contacts and strengthen existing relationships, hold influential meetings and close business transactions with leading German suppliers.
Petra Hedorfer, Chief Executive Officer of the GNTB explains: “Digitalisation, sustainability, as well as the appropriate development of offers and infrastructure, are the key challenges for the tourism industry within the international marketplace. Destination Germany is excellently positioned regarding these challenges. The GTM is an excellent platform to present our offers to the international travel industry and to further expand the success of the German incoming tourism.”
Efficient framework program and information for multipliers
With a total of nine different pre-convention tours on the days preceding the official opening of the GTM, international guests can discover special tourism offers relevant to the thematic key areas of the GNTB. A workshop program will provide updates on trends and developments for tourism in Germany. Wiesbaden will be hosting an official opening ceremony and the evening reception, providing a memorable experience representative of German culture and hospitality.
Effective sales event for the German mid-sized sector
The GTM format was created in 1972 through the GNTB and has been constantly developed since then. “Within the dynamic competition of the destinations but also of the distribution channels, the GTM offers predominantly medium-sized companies from the tourism industry the chance to present themselves successfully to international top decision makers.” Hedorfer continues. A survey after the GTM in 2018 showed that 98 percent of the German suppliers were very satisfied or satisfied with their presentation at the event. Due to successful business, deals 83 percent of the suppliers expressed their intention to participate in the GTM in 2019 again.
Green event
In 2012 the GNTB implemented the GTM as a ‘green’/sustainable event. This year’s event will also take into account certain sustainability aspects. This includes for example supporting environmentally friendly arrival and departure of the participants, catering from regional sources, not using disposable tableware and including public transportation as a source of transportation. The GTM 2019 has received the Green Note-“Seal of Approval” again for its concept.
