On location at Germany Travel Mart

Heads were turning April 24 as droves of luggage-toting travel professionals and media made their way along the cobblestone streets of Erfurt and Weimar in Thuringia, the host state for this year's Germany Travel Mart (GTM). Although the arrival wasn't anything official, it definitely felt as though the residents who were stopping to watch our little parade were welcoming us to their region - not exactly a stretch of the imagination, for Germans are known for their friendliness toward tourists. 

More than 350 German exhibitors from the hotel, transport and inbound tourism sectors will be representing the country at this year's GTM, and travel industry specialists from more than 45 countries across the globe have arrived to take part in four days of networking, tours and workshops. Together with media (PAX included), the numbers of people are in the hundreds and the German National Tourist Board is more than up to the task, not missing a moment to showcase and celebrate the multi-sensory delights for which its country is known. 

With Germany celebrating 25 years as a reunified nation and only two years away from its 500th anniversary of the Reformation, there is plenty the country has to celebrate, and although the trade show proper has not yet taken place, the festivities began from the moment GTM guests arrived.

Because the GTM is being hosted in the lesser-known state of Thuringia for its 41st year (its foreign overnight stays are at about 0.8 per cent, although its growth from last year is up by 5.8 per cent), the theme of each event has an emphasis on the attractions, history and culture that, while they may not be at the forefront of travellers' minds when they think of Germany, are the very things that make the country a destination ripe for exploration. Below are a few highlights of GTM activities from the past few days, which has been a veritable whirlwind of music, history and, of course, wurst. No rest for the wicked though, so the saying goes. Or, as the Germans put it, wer rastet, der rostet.

Famously known as the site where Martin Luther translated the Bible into German (and thus influenced the development of the German language), Wartburg Castle in Eisenach is built atop a hill that overlooks miles of Thuringian forest - the home of fairies and giants found in many classic German fables. The 900-year old castle structure is a maze of gardens, towers, corridors of artifacts and a great hall where the nobles once stood.

The night of guest arrival to the GTM, it was Petra Hedorfer, CEO, the German National Tourist Board, and Bärbel Grönegres, managing director for the Thuringia Tourist Board, who were holding court, welcoming their guests with a brief speech and a selection of performances from Tannhäuser and the Singers' Contest, an opera by Richard Wagner. This was followed by dinner at the adjacent Wartburg Hotel, where a selection of authentic Thuringian cuisine was served fireside throughout areas of the hotel, creating a cozy atmosphere that seemed more like a holiday house party than a buffet for hundreds. 

On the official first day of the GTM, attendees spent the day at educational programs and panel discussions, as well as tours of the host cities. In Weimar, my tour group spent the day learning about its complex history, one that surrounds enlightenment, art, music, and the effects of national socialism on all three. This was punctuated with strudel-laden coffee breaks at street cafes, a traditional German lunch, and of course, more dessert.

Sunday night was the official GTM opening event, a grand affair that took place inside St. Mary's Cathedral, the oldest ecclesiastic building in Erfurt, founded in the eighth century. The evening began with addresses from Iris Gleicke, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy; Wolfgang Tiefensee, Thuringian Minister for Economic Affairs, Science and Digital Society; and Hedorfer. 

"In Germany," Gleicke told a cathedral full of travel professionals, media, politicians and artists, "foreign visitors are chiefly attracted to the major cities like Berlin, Hamburg and Dresden. And rightly so. But Germany also has much to offer beyond these centres of tourism," she continued. "For me, what is special about Germany is its great wealth of culture outside the major centres of population."

A programme of diverse and captivating musical acts followed, including a cello performance from Tiefensee himself, before the cathedral let out to the glamourous and modern Theatre Erfurt where guests dined on the stage to the music of a German jazz band. 

Tomorrow I head to the Messe Erfurt for the GTM trade show, to find out about what else there is to discover in the land of ideas...

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