German travel sector eyes Tamil Nadu for big bucks

This information was provided at a recent tourism roadshow held in Chennai by the German National Tourist Office, India (GTNO). Romit Theophilus, Director, Sales and Marketing said, “Over the past five years, the travel industry in Germany has invested around 4-5 million euros in the Indian market itself. So there is a lot of investment, which is expected to come in to promote Germany as a tourist destination in India.” 

The country has witnessed a lot of traction from tourists in South India, too as Romit explains, “A lot of people in this part of the country visited places in Germany like the Black Forest mountain range, Berlin, Saxony, the towns of Dresden and Leipzig. After shooting our very first Bollywood film in Germany- Don 2 in 2011, we are looking towards South Indian filmmakers, including those from Tamil Nadu to shooting many more movies in this region.” 

Incidentally, Germany has close to 1,600 Indian restaurants, which indicates the tourism potential. Romit says, “Food will never be an issue for the Indian tourist. You can always find your choice of cuisine in Germany without a problem. Also, a lot of Germans love Indian food and the main clientele are Germans itself. We have a dedicated channel that plays Bollywood movies dubbed in German, 24/7. So there is a huge influence the country has over Germany.” 

Indian tourists are among the top spenders when it comes to visiting the European nation for leisure purposes. In fact, in the Schengen region, Germany has been the leading destination for Indians in the past five years. Romit points out, “We receive more Indian tourists than the our neighbours France and Switzerland.” 

A public poll conducted by the German National Tourist Office a few years ago sought to understand the most famous Indian actor the Germans knew about and it turned out to be Rajinikanth.”