Fast cars and vineyards, all in Stuttgart
With over 100,000 Indian visitors last year, the capital of Baden-Württemberg, Stuttgart, surely has a lot to offer. Here is a look at their marketing strategy and future plans for India.
From
grand palaces to skyscrapers and trendy museums, the Southwest German capital has a variety to offer to its visitors. “Stuttgart is the city with the highest increase in overnights from Indian visitors last year and we hope for a similar growth this year,” says Hans-JörgHadbawnik, Regional Director for India & Russia, Stuttgart- Marketing GmbH, Regio Stuttgart Marketing- und Tourismus GmbH. Surrounded by vineyards and forests on the banks of River Neckar, Stuttgart provides the perfect scenic getaway with the comforts of a city. Home to the Mercedes-Benz and Porsche Museum, Stuttgart has also manifested its reputation as a center of the German automotive industry.
“We are very active in the Indian market and attend many roadshows in India. I visit five Indian cities, meet- ing at least 100 travel agents and tour operators in each city. We also conduct workshops,” adds Hadbawnik.
The promotional agenda also includes an online training programme for travel agents. More than 800 Indian travel agents have participated and on passing the test, they have become South West Germany specialists.
“First we want to inform the travel trade about our destination at reasonable prices. We have helped design packages for one day, three days and five days. These have been priced and can be booked online. We find these packages also useful for business travellers,” says Hadbawnik.
Addressing some of the common concerns of an Indian traveller, he adds, “Indian will not face any problems when it comes to food, vegetarian food is easily available in every restaurant and Stuttgart has over 20 Indian restaurants.”
Stuttgart is also a member of the German tourism initiative, India pool and supportsits promotional activities.