TORONTO — Riding high after wrapping up a successful 49th Germany Travel Mart (GTM) in Essen, the German National Tourist Board is already looking forward to the 50th GTM, scheduled for April 21 to 23, 2024 in Chemnitz.
Chemnitz, in the German State of Saxony, is known for its museums and award-winning city centre. Chemnitz has also been named European Capital of Culture 2025.
Tallying the feedback from the most recent GTM, in Essen April 16 – 18, a very strong 90% of suppliers were satisfied/very satisfied with the way the GTM took place. The GTM was rated as a good or very good platform for conducting business by 94% of respondents.
The GNTB focused on making this year’s GTM a green event by reducing the carbon footprint and implementing different sustainable measures.
Petra Hedorfer, Chairwoman of the GNTB’s Executive Board, said: “GTM 2023 once again confirmed the great importance of face-to-face meetings in order to continually expand successful business relationships.”
Here’s a look at more positive stats from the show …
- 83% of suppliers had already taken part in the GTM in the past
- 97% of the respondents were able to establish new business contacts
- 87% intend to participate in the GTM again in the future.
Also at this year’s event, some 200 German companies from the hotel, transport and leisure industries, Incoming Services, regional tourism organizations as well as approximately 230 buyers from international travel companies and online travel companies took part in GTM to negotiate offers for the coming year. They also used the GNTB’s GTM Networking Tool to arrange 5,300 appointments. Around 100 media also took part in the event.
Hedorfer added: “The focal topics placed at the GTM were validated by the positive feedback received from the participants: Sustainability, digital transformation, linking city breaks with rural vacations, climate and environmentally friendly means of transport and extending the length of stay. The positive response to the GTM 2023 is a strong testimony to the position of German incoming tourism in the global competition of destinations.”
The GNTB organized the 49th GTM as a green event. Specific measures to reduce the event’s carbon footprint included, for example, supporting environmentally friendly travel for participants by rail, offsetting the CO2 emissions of all flights, catering as far as possible from regional sources and the use of reusable exhibition furniture and energy-saving event technology.
