Workshop brings together tourism managers from Central Europe in Berlin – joint marketing of „Transromanica“ route discussed
Magdeburg, 15 June 2009. 24 tourism managers from throughout Europe met on Thursday, 11 June, in Berlin to discuss co-operation, cost savings and more potent marketing efforts. Meeting at the invitation of the Saxony-Anhalt Transport Ministry, the experts gathered at the Saxony-Anhalt state mission to discuss sites of both touristic and cultural value. The participating regions are working side-by-side on the CrossCulTour project and the Route Transromanica, which also includes the German Straße der Romanik. CrossCulTour is a collaboration between the German states of Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia, the Austrian state of Carinthia, the Italian regions of Modena and Piedmont and Slovenia.
„With sufficient time, money and luck it is possible to do everything yourself,“ stated Juliane Koch of the Transromanica association, which supports the CrossCulTour project, at the beginning of the workshop. „However, who has all those in sufficient quantities?“ she added, pointing out the dilemma, before going on to state the case for joint marketing activities and co-operation with companies and institutions – so-called cross-marketing.
The cultural tourists that are targeted by these efforts represent solid economic benefits, explained Dr. Manfred Zeiner of the consultancy dwif. „Cultural tourists are not only interested in art and culture. They also like to shop more than other tourists, they value attractive nightlife and spend more money in the process. Being a cultural tourist is a full-time job,“ declared the institute director, who specialises in tourism consulting.
Birgit Dittmar took a highly practical approach. The marketing expert from the German Tourism Office highlighted the importance of co-operation, particularly with major companies, in making German tourist sites attractive for foreign visitors. „Global players are able to market globally,“ is her motto.
Matthias Poeschel used the example of Fahrtziel Kultur to demonstrate how cross-marketing can also work with limited funds. „10 towns in Germany co-operate here, some of which have UNESCO World Heritage status, all of which have a link to the medieval period,“ stated the expert, who works for the Tourism and Marketing Agency of the State of Saxony-Anhalt. „We need to find the right sponsors, ones who also match our image perfectly.“ In this case this proved successful, with the project successfully launched last year. Now the aim is to expand it effectively. „There is strength in numbers, and you can also save a lot of money in the process,“ summarised the marketing expert.
Brigitte Schmelzer, of Carinthia, presented the wasser.reich project. Here she co-operated with major companies with a link to the water resources of the Austrian state. For example, Kelag, the largest energy utility in the state, offers its customers 50 % reductions in admission prices to swimming pools or events. The gains for both sides are enormous.
Stefania Severi detailed a marketing approach aimed at enjoyment and events – no problem in the Modena region that she is responsible for. Events with a regional background are created, with their marketing incorporating food products bearing advertising on their packaging. „This only succeeds where the products have a high regional identity and are absolutely authentic,“ she added.
After the presentations, the managers from Germany, Austria, Serbia, Italy and Slovenia held a workshop in which they exchanged and generalised their own respective experiences. One focus in this was logistics. The workshop revealed the significance of airports, even small airports, which are indispensable for international tourists. It is important that cross-marketing efforts involve co-operation in this field. In addition, it could also be possible to collaborate with regional wine producers located along the Transromanica. This could involve the production of a limited series of wines with labels tailored specifically to the Transromanica, marketed in turn by a retail chain with a strong market presence.
Details of CrossCulTour can be found in the accompanying fact sheet.
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For further information, interview and photo requests, please contact:
Frank Urbansky, MDKK – Mitteldeutsche Kommunikations- und Kongressgesellschaft mbH
Tel.: +49 341 12 47 96 30; Fax: +49 341 12 47 96 31
urbansky@mdkk.de
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