Germany – top spot for conferences and events
GERMANY has repeatedly
proved that it has what
it takes to host largescale
global trade shows,
and those who have attended
one will know why it is ranked
second in the world for
conference and convention
locations.
“A central location in the
heart of Europe, outstanding
infrastructure, security, welltrained
staff, integrated
transport and sustainability
are why Germany is so highly
sought after as a business
travel destination and trade
show venue,” says Petra
Hedorfer, ceo of the German
National Tourist Board.
Petra says the country’s
status as a premier MICE
destination comes from
Germany offering “very
good value for money and
a wide choice of highquality
conference hotels,
convention centres and event
locations”.
Karin Duncker,
spokesperson for Lufthansa,
agrees. She says, compared
with the rest of Europe,
German hotel rates are
particularly low while
standards are high. According
to Lufthansa, two-thirds of
the world’s agship trade
fairs take place in Germany,
which has more than 6 000
event venues ranging from
state-of-the-art congress halls
to ultra-professional hotels
and unusual locations.
Mark Buck, managing
director of United Europe,
says Germany’s geographical
location and size make
attendance fairly simple and
that its current and historical
industrial background puts it
ahead of many competitors
in terms of innovation, quality
and performance.
Many of the visitors
attending trade shows may
be tempted to use the
opportunity to explore what
else the country has to offer.
However, Mark believes
trade shows are designed
to elicit as much work
performance as possible
in the shortest amount of
time, and it’s not often that
business people extend
these breaks for a leisurely
look around the country.
“That said, people have
travelled with us, citing an
early trip to Cologne for a
trade fair,” he says.
Petra says MICE events
often introduce a traveller
to the destination. “A
trade show is always a
prestigious platform for the
host country and offers an
unparalleled opportunity
for it to showcase its
tourism infrastructure. If a
destination shows itself to
be positive and welcoming
during a trade show or
MICE event, there’s a good
chance that travellers will
return again when not on
business.”
Mark’s advice to travel
agents booking Germany
for their clients is to check
the accommodation rates
with someone familiar with
the destination. “Trade fairs
are frequent and scattered
all over the country. Hotels,
especially for the larger
shows, have pre-set trade
fair rates. These rates are
many times higher than a
standard rate you will nd on
the Internet, so be careful
when communicating a price
to your client.”
Petra adds: “For both
private and business travel,
Germany is among the most
popular destinations in the
world. No other country
hosts as many agship
trade fairs.
All-year-round experiences in Austria
WHILE it is most popular
with South African
travellers as a skiing
holiday destination,
Austria is becoming
increasingly popular as
a host of large business
and leisure events.
Inge Dobihal, owner
of Austria Connection,
says a lesser known fact
in South Africa is that
Vienna is one of Europe’s
top congress cities, with
many big international
congresses taking place
there, which may even
lead to a shortage of
hotel accommodation.
“Austria is a versatile
country that attracts
visitors with different
interests and at any time
of the year.”
From a leisure
perspective, Inge says
an annual festivity
attracting much attention
from travellers is the
Christmas markets. She
says the best Christmas
atmosphere can be found
in Salzburg, which is
where the carol Silent
Night was composed and
performed for the rst
time in a small church on
the outskirts of the city.
This year visitors
can expect dedicated
exhibitions to
commemorate the
100th anniversary of
the outbreak of World
War I as well as the
900th anniversary of
the Klosterneuberg
Monastery.
Inge says, since the
most popular gateway
into Austria for South
Africans is Munich,
many travellers choose
to combine a visit to
Germany with their
Austrian trip”
Connecting Germany to the Med
LATER this year, Lufthansa
will introduce ights from
Munich to the popular
holiday destinations of
Bodrum in Turkey (June
8-November 2) and Lamezia
Terme in southern Italy
(April 12-November 1). The
airline is also boosting its
frequencies to a number
of other European summer
destinations.
The numbers are up
Between January
and November 2013
Germany’s Federal
Statistical Ofce
recorded around
166 000 overnight stays
by guests from South
Africa in accommodation
establishments with
10 or more beds. This
represents a year-on-year
increase of 2,7%.
Explore Austria by bike and boat
AUSTRIA Connection is
offering a package that
combines cycling with a
cruise along the Danube.
Starting from €598 (R9 000)
per person, the tour includes
approximately 165km on
a bike (self-guided or with
a cycle guide), €25 (R377)
on-board credit to be spent
as guests wish, and visits to
some of Austria’s top sights.
Travellers cycle along
Europe’s second-largest
river, the Danube, from
Passau. They visit Vienna,
Bratislava and Budapest,
discover the Schlögener
Schlinge (Great Loop), the
legendary Wachau with
romantic towns and mighty
castles amid vineyards, the
untouched alluvial forests
of the Danube National Park
as well as the picturesque
Hungarian Danube bend.
Shorter routings for leisure
cyclists are available.
To the point
Last year Lufthansa recorded the best gures for punctuality in its
history. According to the airline, more than 85% of all departing ights
left the Frankfurt and Munich hubs within 15 minutes of the scheduled
departure time. Further, the reliability of transfer connections and
baggage services also improved. The proportion of transfer passengers
who missed their connecting ight or didn’t receive their luggage at
their destination was slightly more than 1%, says the airline.
Vienna welcomes new hotel arrivals
VIENNA has seen the recent
opening of a spate of new
hotels, with more coming on
line this year.
A new four-star hotel
operated by the Spanish
Sol Meliá group opened in
February on the northern
bank of the Danube. The
253 rooms and suites of
the Meliá Vienna occupy
oors in Austria’s tallest
building, the 58-storey DC
Tower. A rooftop bar and
restaurant on the top two
oors of the skyscraper
provide jaw-dropping views
of the city.
The Ruby Soe Hotel is
due to open this month
in the recently restored
Soensaele. The fourstar,
154-room property
offers competitively priced
smaller rooms with great
design.
The ve-star Park Hyatt
Vienna also opens this
year in the heart of the
old town. The rst Hyatt
in Austria, the 143-room
property is situated in
a renovated complex of
historic buildings that is
also home to the Goldenes
Quartier, Vienna’s new
luxury shopping zone.
Low-budget design hotel
chain, Motel One, is
planning further branches
hot on the heels of
the Motel One WienWestbahnhof
(opened
2011) and the Motel
One-Wien Prater (opened
2013). The 400-room
Motel One Wien-Staatsoper
will open in the second
half of this year in a
heritage building close to
the State Opera. There
are plans, too, for a 530-
room Motel One at the new
Hauptbahnhof station, due
to open in mid-2015.
October 2013 saw the
boutique hotel, The
Guesthouse Vienna, open
near the State Opera.
It has 39 generously
proportioned rooms.
The 390-room
Falkensteiner Hotel Wien
Margareten opened last
September.
Autumn 2013 brought
three additional properties
operated by the
unconventional Viennese
Urbanauts Street Lofts. The
rst Street Loft is close
to the new Hauptbahnhof
station.
New openings on the hotel
scene last year include the
Palais Hansen Kempinski
Vienna and the extension
at the 25hours Hotel
Wien.
