Germany's tourism authority is tapping the digital field to appeal to Chinese travelers. "China is one of the most promising source markets for inbound tourism to Germany, and few other countries have such a pronounced digital affinity. To continue engaging potential customers effectively, Germany will continue to enhance its digital customer services throughout the entire journey," says Petra Hedorfer, CEO of the German National Tourist Board.

Between May 26 and June 1, the board took a delegation of tourism officials and players on a digital knowledge seeking tour around China to gain insight into the latest developments in the country's travel technology sector.

The delegation included representatives from the cities of Berlin, Hamburg, Bremen, Cologne and Duesseldorf, along with the airports of Frankfurt and Munich, as well as the Hotel Adlon, porcelain maker Meissen, and luxury shopping outlets.

"This trip seeks to forge new partnerships and strengthen existing relationships between the Chinese and German travel industries. Moving forward, we want to jointly explore cooperation and business opportunities," Hedorfer says.

The German delegation paid visits to multiple digital technology companies in Beijing, Shanghai, Zhejiang province's Hangzhou and Guangdong province's Shenzhen, including JD.com for advanced automation and artificial intelligence applications, and online travel agency Trip.com Group for digitalized tour services and big data application in tourism. The board also signed a memorandum of understanding with Trip.com to promote tourism in Germany.

"These companies have extensive user bases and access to vast amounts of consumer data, which allows for deep insights into travel behavior and preferences. This data-driven approach enables more effective marketing strategies and the development of travel products that match consumer needs," Hedorfer explains.

Last year, tourism from China to Germany witnessed a dynamic recovery, the tourist board said, and it anticipates a renewed increase in demand from Chinese travelers in 2024 and 2025. "And to meet this demand and develop effective marketing strategies, we need an up-to-date and comprehensive understanding of their digital habits, information-gathering methods, sources of inspiration, and booking behavior," Hedorfer says.

"The dialogue with leading Chinese technology and tourism companies allows us to pick up on consumer trends early on and to stay ahead of the curve, ensuring that Germany continues to market itself successfully in China in the digital age and that it remains the most popular European travel destination for Chinese tourists," she adds.

In recent years, the German National Tourist Board has launched several campaigns in the Chinese market in collaboration with local technology companies.

For instance, in 2018, it partnered with Alipay to stage an online shopping festival and in 2020, it launched an official WeChat mini-program to promote what Germany has to offer.

"To maintain and expand Germany's strong position as a European destination for Chinese travelers, an integral part of our strategy has always been working closely together with our local partners, using social networks in China, and collaborating with leading online portals like Trip.com," Hedorfer says.

In 2023, the tourist board worked with Chinese search engine Baidu, whose ERNIE Bot (Wenxin Yiyan) was trained using a wide range of travel content to provide visitors with a personalized AI assistant for their trip to Germany.

To target potential customers even more effectively, the board has worked closely with its partners on optimizing the entire customer journey, particularly enhancing digital customer services that Chinese guests value, such as mobile payments, Hedorfer says.

Pioneers include stores at Frankfurt Airport, which enabled contactless payments with Alipay as early as 2015. In 2017, the drugstore chain Rossmann, which is very popular among Chinese tourists, became the first major German retail chain to introduce mobile payments with Alipay.

"Numerous destinations, such as Stuttgart, are also developing tailored products and offers, particularly in the shopping sector, to better meet the needs of Chinese customers," she says.

Since the beginning of this year, outbound tourism from China has been recovering rapidly, with an increasing number of destinations and a wide variety of travel experiences.

According to the China Tourism Academy's annual report on outbound tourism development from 2023-24, the number of outbound traveler visits in 2023 exceeded 87 million and the report predicts that figure will reach 130 million this year.

Yang Jinsong, director of the international research institute at the China Tourism Academy, says that outbound Chinese tourism is a crucial driving force and stabilizer for global tourism development.

The recovery and growth of China's outbound tourism will inject strong confidence and momentum into global development, Yang adds.

The German tourist board says that it has picked up on the growing trend toward independent and customized travel among Chinese tourists.

According to a study it conducted on outbound travelers from metropolitan regions, 48 percent of respondents emphasized sustainable travel and 77 percent said they would incorporate a focus on nature during a city trip.

"For travelers seeking sustainability, Germany is a great place due to several key factors including environmental commitment, an extensive and efficient public transportation system, a wide range of eco-friendly accommodations and green cities," Hedorfer says, adding that more efforts will be made to cater to the preferences of Chinese travelers.

"The next step is the implementation of seamless connectivity along the entire value chain. This includes synchronizing booking systems, transportation, accommodation and activities, offering consistent and uninterrupted customer service through various touch points, including online platforms, mobile apps and in-person interactions," she says.

Dieter Janecek, the coordinator for the Maritime Industry and Tourism at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, says that digital transformation, particularly the application of artificial intelligence and big data analysis, is reshaping the entire value chain of the global tourism industry. This trend is especially significant in China.

"This transformational trend is unstoppable … Through direct exchanges between the Chinese tourism industry and German businesses and destinations, we aim to enhance mutual understanding," Janecek says.

Armin Dellnitz, head of the Stuttgart tourism bureau, says Chinese travelers ranked 6th among the city's international tourist markets before the pandemic.

"Now, we anticipate that the demand for Stuttgart as a tourist destination among Chinese travelers will increase once again. To meet this demand and carry out appropriate marketing, we need to keep abreast of the times and strengthen various aspects of the travel experience, such as digitalization, informatization, communication, and booking behavior," Dellnitz says.

Tourism between Germany and China began in 2003 with the Approved Destination Status agreement.

"Germany was the first European country to sign such an agreement with China, and as the National Tourist Board, we seized this opportunity early on and have been promoting the beauty of Germany in all its facets with our team in Beijing for over 20 years. Over 31 million overnight stays by Chinese guests in Germany have been recorded in this period," Hedorfer says.

According to the European Travel Commission's Long Haul Travel Barometer, since January, Germany has remained one of the top three European destinations for Chinese travelers planning a trip abroad, behind France and Italy, confirming the high regard for the country as a travel destination.

In 2019 alone, Chinese trips to Germany generated over 3 million overnight stays and 6 billion euros ($6.43 billion) in revenue.

With the increasing number of flights and a recovery rate of 63.1 percent in overnight stays during the first three months of this year compared to 2019, all signs point to a positive trajectory, Hedorfer says.

Contact the writer at yangfeiyue@chinadaily.com.cn