'Deutschland has much to offer Indian tourists'

Planning a trip abroad? Consider Germany. There are Germans in the city waiting to lure you. While travel to that country has, so far, for Indians, been motivated by business or work, there is a large and growing class of tourists. A team of German officials headed by Romit Theophilus, director, German National Tourist Office, is in Bangalore. He spoke to DNA.

What do you hope to achieve in this visit to Bangalore?
There are 14 members of different states of Germany here in India, visiting Indian cities and conducting week-long activities to promote tourist travel. So far, events have occurred in Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad. We are now visiting Bangalore. I have interacted with a large number of tourist operators in the city, explaining what Germany has to offer to visitors. Next year, Germany will also open a visa counter in Bangalore. We expect over five lakh tourists from India. Furthermore, compared to last year, there has been a 19% increase in the number of tourists.

Tell us a little about how you market Germany in India.
We have over 20,000 castles to offer, and nearly six million events are organised through the year. On any day, there are 1,000 events to choose from. Zugspitze, the highest peak in Germany, is a big attraction for tourists. From there, one can take in a view of four countries. People also come to see the Neuschwanstein Castle, which provided the inspiration for Disneyland. Indian tourists also want to tour German cities like Berlin and Frankfurt.

Next year marks 125 years of the German automobile. A tour will be organised with this in mind, allowing visitors a ride in the BMW to Stuttgart from Munich; visitors will then ride a Mercedes to Lake Constance, and take a Porsche to Ingolsdat, before riding back to Munich in an Audi.

Are there changing trends in tourist flow to Germany?
Germany is known as a destination for business travel. However, of late, we have seen a growing number of people travelling to Germany on leisure. Germany ranks second in the number of Indian tourists coming to Europe, after UK. We are promoting Germany as a destination for group travel, for honeymooners and for families. Germany is affordable, and four-star accommodation can be had for 1,800 Euros.

Do you have any targets for this year?
Precise revenue targets have not been calculated. We hope that a large number of Indians, especially those from the IT sector and cosmopolitan centres, would visit. We are targeting all age groups, and apart from the natural beauty and the historical sites, there are also theme parks and the automobile sector that will attract visitors.