52 SPOTLIGHT ON GERMAN
52 SPOTLIGHT ON GERMAN REGION: BAVARIA Hall 6.2b / Stand 301 © www.bayern.by Gert Krautbauer BAVARIA CONTINUES TO LURE DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL TOURISTS Bayern Tourismus Marketing is appearing at this year’s ITB Berlin under the heading The Myth of Bavaria. One highlight is an interactive virtual reality experience where reality and imagination come together with the help of the HTC Vive VR glasses. Bavaria is the number one travel destination in Germany. In the first 11 months of 2017, Bavaria played host to around 35 million guests. This represents an increase of 4.5% compared to the period from January to November 2016. The Free State notched up 88.2 million overnight stays from January to November 2017. Compared to the same period in the previous year, the number of overnight stays rose by 3.3%. More than 100 exhibitors have come to Berlin to showcase the best features of Bavaria. Alongside the four regions of Bavaria, exhibitors include the Dinosaurier-Park in Altmühltal, the Apassionata Park in Munich, the Oberammergau Passion Plays, the KulturLounge Bayern, the House of Bavarian History, Center Parcs and many more besides Southeast German State Pushes its Number One Destination Status Our aim is to continue to reinforce the positive image of Bavaria as a year-round destination both at home and abroad. For 12 months of the year, visitors to the Free State can find exciting products and experiences that offer value for money, and that appeal to families and outdoor enthusiasts as well as those looking for a touch of luxury. Popular activities with international guests include trips to Bavaria’s cities, organised tours, holidays in the countryside and the mountains, sports and activity holidays and wellness options. An awareness of tradition, regional independence, cultural diversity and, last but not least, an individual sense of freedom and even self-determination are well-known characteristics of this state and its people. And that quality is precisely what attracts visitors to Bavaria, which is why we want to use it to inspire people from Germany and overseas to travel to our region.” ADVERTORIAL Tauber Valley TAUBER VALLEY: GERMANY’S ROMANTIC GATEWAY As Franconia once lay at the heart of the Holy Roman Empire, so today’s Tauber Franconia region lies at the heart of the reunited Germany. The southern German tourism board branded Liebliches Taubertal (Lovely Tauber Valley), is promoting the romantic landscape lying between Baden- Württemberg and Bavaria, a valley that extends for 120 kilometres and whose lush meadows and gently sweeping slopes are chequered with pristine medieval towns like Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Six tourist routes cover the valley, offering a diverse palette of cultural sites and pristine landscapes. The Romantic Road, which leads from Würzburg through the Tauber Valley to Füssen, the Castle Route from Mannheim/Heidelberg to Nuremberg, and the Bocksbeutel Strasse through the vineyards © TLT Peter Frischmuth For Bavaria, as the number one travel destination in Germany, the ITB is the most important trade fair of all, both for the domestic and overseas markets. Here, for a few days, we have the opportunity to talk with numerous representatives of the international travel industry as well as potential guests Barbara Radomski Authorised Signatory of Bavaria Tourism between Aisch and Tauber, are just some of the options that traverse southern Germany’s rolling tributary valleys. From historically rich sites like the castle ruins at Wertheim to the Bronnbach monastery, the Teutonic Order castle in Bad Mergentheim, Baroque wine merchants’ houses and the Kurmainz castle in Tauberbischofsheim, the Tauber Valley also offers famed Franconian wines, beer from locallygrown barley, and rich local cuisine. Meanwhile, a range of comfortable accommodation can be found in in the numerous towns and villages, from boutique hotels to cosy farm guesthouses and campsites with a full range of facilities. Hall 6.2b / Stand 302 CENTER PARCS TO OPEN THIS AUTUMN Center Parcs will open its Park Allgäu development this autumn with a stunning view of the Alps, near the tranquil town Leutkirch. This will be Germany’s sixth Center Parcs development and the €350 million project offers cottages in the Comfort, Premium and VIP categories. For the first time in Germany, the park will feature the luxury residential category Exclusive. This attraction is sure to appeal to both international and domestic visitors to the spectacular Bavaria region. Hall 6.2b / Stand 305 ITB BERLIN NEWS • Thursday 8 th March 2018 www.itb-berlin-news.com
© Thomas Keller HOSPITALITY / RESTAURANTS / BARS WHERE TO GO IN Berlin CLUBS / EVENTS / SHOPPING / CULTURE Friedrichshain On the Border of East and West Along the Spree river from Mitte, Friedrichshain is another former East Berlin district that has become a hub for visitors who want to explore both the city’s compelling past and inspiring present. Known for its classic Soviet-inspired architecture on Karl-Marx- Allee, or its famous Sunday market on Boxhagener Platz - part of a vibrant, upcoming neighbourhood jammed with bars and restaurants - Friedrichhain’s landmark is the turreted Oberbaum Bridge that crosses Berlin’s major river. The bridge was a major checkpoint that divided East and West Berlin in the Wall years, while today it’s a popular thoroughfare where amplified rock bands, performers and musicians serenade the human ebb and flow taking in the view over Berlin. Nearby is the storied East Side Gallery, a long stretch of the former Berlin Wall that has been a fresco upon which artists from around the world came to express ideas of freedom as the Iron Curtain fell. The paintings – including 1990’s Fraternal Kiss (above) by Russian Dmitri Vrubel, a doomed final embrace between Russian and GDR leaders – symbolise the ongoing struggle for an open and tolerant city. Among the plentiful accommodation options in the area is the Michelberger Hotel on Warschauer Strasse. A century-old industrial building has been transformed into stylish accommodation for travellers on small or more expansive budgets, while the Hotel boasts one of the best lounge bars east of the Spree, a homey, high-design hang-out that includes a courtyard/beer garden where events and concerts happen year-round. Karl-Marx-Allee in Friedrichshain was the Champs- Élysées of East Germany and its grand apartment buildings once called “workers’ palaces” are equally impressive today. Stretching for two kilometres from Alexanderplatz in the city centre to Frankfurter Tor, the Soviet-designed boulevard contains some of Berlin’s best modernist architecture, including the Kino International cinema and Cafe Moskau. This is where a workers’ uprising started in 1953 but was soon put down with the help of the Red Army. But these days another revolution is happening in the back streets to east of Warschauer Strasse, an area thick with bars, clubs and restaurants since the Wall fell almost 30 years ago. ITB BERLIN NEWS • Thursday 8 th March 2018
