Akira Nishiyama, General Director of the German Tourist Office, Asia, said, “The average price of a package tour including Germany in 2019 was 482,398 yen, while the average price for summer 2025 was 876,335 yen. This is due to inflation in Germany, increased flight times due to avoidance of airspace over Russia, and the depreciation of the yen to historic levels. Therefore, from a short-term perspective, we are implementing initiatives such as holding business meetings to create tours for repeat visitors and high-income earners in order to stimulate demand by travel agencies”.
However, the “Semperopera” (Saxon State Opera House) and “Käthe Wolfert” (Christmas goods specialty store), which are favorites of the Japanese high-value-added tourists currently targeted by the German Tourism Bureau, also came to Japan from Germany, and there was a lively exchange of information.
The Germany Travel Show 2025 is a historic B2B event that has been around since 1981; in the 1990s, the number of suppliers sometimes exceeded 30, but due to the slow recovery of outbound travel in recent years, the number of suppliers has been declining. In fact, the number of Japanese overnight stays in Germany in 2025 is expected to land at 65% of the pre-Corona 2019 level.
Participating suppliers included Berlin Tourism Bureau, Frankfurt Tourism Bureau, Rothenburg Tourism Bureau, Maritim Hotel, and Croisie Europe. The Deutsche Märchenstrasse had not been to Japan for a long time, but this was the first time in six years that they had participated in the event.
On November 5, the German Tourist Board held the “German Travel Show 2025” for travel agencies. This event is held once every two years, and this time a total of 13 suppliers from Japan and Korea visited the exhibition to hold business meetings with travel agencies.
The Mercure Road celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Presentation by each supplier
After the business meeting with travel agencies, presentations were also made by suppliers to the press.
The German fairy tale road celebrated its 50th anniversary this year, and the German Tourist Bureau is keen to encourage Japanese visitors to come to Germany for a “cultural experience” that cannot be had anywhere else. Grimm’s fairy tales are very familiar to Japanese people, and the German Tourist Office is enthusiastic about inviting Japanese people to visit Germany to have a “cultural experience” that is not possible without going to Germany.
Doris Schneider from the Semperopera, Saxony’s state opera house, took the stage. Located in the historic district of Dresden, the capital of Saxony, this late-classical style theater with Renaissance elements is breathtaking both externally and internally. Although the theater suffered from fire and destruction during World War II, it was rebuilt and reconstructed in 1985, and now hosts more than 350 opera, ballet, and concert parks a year.
There is a reason why Semperopera took the trouble to come to Japan this time,” said Nishiyama. Before Corona, Japan was actually the second most important client after Switzerland and Austria, and they wanted us to come back and “enjoy performances at the Semperopera. Watching a performance at a theater with tradition and prestige is truly a “unique experience. Although Dresden is not easily accessible from Japan, it is well worth the time and effort.
Germany is also famous for its “Christmas Market. Mr. Takuma Wohlfahrt from Käthe Wolfert took the stage and talked about the history of Käthe Wolfert, which has been family owned and operated since 1964. During the Christmas season, Käthe Wolfert has stalls at Christmas markets in Germany, and at the main store Christmas Village in Rothenburg, visitors can enjoy the Christmas atmosphere all year round. Incidentally, this year the company will also have a stall at Christmas markets in Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka.
Anton Huber and Eva Raab from the Zugspitze Mountaineering Railway were the speakers. Zugspitze is Germany’s highest mountain at 2962 meters above sea level and can be reached by a large 120-seat ropeway. The observation terrace offers a spectacular view of 400 mountains in four countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy). Aiming for the highest peak in Germany” would be a perfect purpose of the trip.
Lufthansa currently offers direct flights from Japan to various parts of Germany. Ms. Akiko Sawada from Lufthansa took the stage to introduce the new “Alegris” cabin, which was introduced on the Haneda-Munich route on October 27. In particular, the “Business Class,” with a choice of five different seat types, has been highly acclaimed and is expected to make travel to Germany more comfortable and enjoyable.
© Source travel watch