In its 2023 global marketing, Destination Germany will put the focus on climate-friendly travel and a responsible use of all resources.

“Recent surveys confirm that international demand for climate-friendly travel is growing,” says Petra Hedorfer, Chief Executive Officer of the German National Tourist Board.

According to the GNTB Industry Expert Panel, the proportion of key accounts that regard Germany as a sustainable destination increased from 67% to 80% within a period of one year.

At the same time, research by IPK International found that 80% of international travellers regard sustainability and climate/environmental protection as important or very important.

“We are actively setting the agenda for sustainable tourism through our theme-based campaigns. Together with our partners in the German travel industry we are working on extending our visitors’ length of stay by offering innovative products. We are also putting more emphasis on tourism that combines cities and rural regions, and on promoting the off season.”

From the travellers’ perspective, Destination Germany says it is already well positioned when it comes to sustainability and to protecting the climate and the environment. According to a survey conducted exclusively for the GNTB by IPK International in October 2022, foreign travellers put Germany third in this category in a European comparison – behind only Switzerland and Sweden.

Germany is ranked sixth in the 2022 SDG Index, which evaluates progress towards achieving the United Nations’ sustainable development goals, and fifth out of 117 comparable countries in the World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Development Index for 2021.

In 2023, the GNTB will run three theme-based campaigns that will continue to keep the focus of its global marketing firmly on sustainable tourism in 2023.

For example, the new GNTB campaign ‘51 UNESCO World Heritage Sites – Historic Modern Germany’ highlights the wide variety of options for sustainable travel when exploring Germany’s different regions and cultural heritage.

There will also be a relaunch of the award-winning FEEL GOOD sustainability campaign, which promotes tourism offerings that have been certified as sustainable. The GNTB will also continue its successful Embrace German Nature campaign.