Moscow hosted the second online meeting dedicated to attracting tourists from Germany to Moscow

The second online meeting in the market track format was held in Moscow as part of the Moscow Travel Hub industry community, which was attended by players from the Moscow tourism market and industry experts from Germany and Bavaria, as well as 110 online listeners - members of the community. The organizer of the meeting is the Project Office for the Development of Tourism and Hospitality of the City of Moscow.

The meeting was attended by Aviareps Leading Manager of Client Marketing Kerstin Sanger, Head of Development and Aviation Marketing at Nuremberg Airport Christian Käser, Director of Client Relations, Team Leader of Ipsos Qualitative Research Department Tatyana Shechkova and Head of Analytics and Research ANO "Project Office for the Development of Tourism and Hospitality of Moscow" of the Committee for Tourism of Moscow Irina Skvortsova.

The German side presented a study on the impact of the pandemic on the preferences of German residents in terms of travel. For example, according to the results of surveys, 23% of German travelers, when choosing a destination, are guided by the compliance of the proposal with a pre-planned budget. Safety amid the coronavirus pandemic has become an important criterion: they want to be sure that where they have to go, nothing will threaten their health. Foreign experts noted the high interest of their compatriots in authentic experiences and national cuisine, so gastro tourism is one of the most popular areas for them.

Germans traditionally prefer to plan their trips in advance (more than six months in advance), while in 2021 71% are ready to travel literally immediately or less than three months after restrictions are lifted. In general, Germans tend to make fewer trips, but longer time travel. Almost half of them use the services of travel agents; most prefer to study the issue of accommodation in another country in advance, as well as prepare a route so as not to get an unpleasant surprise on the spot. In addition, some of them note that the trip begins even before arriving at the place: the booking process itself brings joy from the anticipation of the trip.

Moscow presented to the participants of the market track a study prepared jointly with the international marketing agency Ipsos. It describes in detail the preferences of German tourists - how often they come to Russia, how much they usually spend and on what, through which services they plan trips. The study also compares an interesting point: the barriers to visiting Russia and the problems that Germans face in reality. So, for example, the language barrier and the need to obtain a visa actually cause less inconvenience than it seems. But the large Russian distances and cultural differences with the locals, who at first care little, in fact plunge some German tourists into shock.

One of the most desirable places to visit in Russia for guests from Germany is Moscow: 22% of tourists plan to return to the capital more times. The requests are very diverse: someone wants to watch a ballet, walk in the parks and go down to the metro, someone wants to try traditional Russian dishes and go to a concert or a bathhouse. 

The Moscow side noted that the requests of all tourists, including German ones, are fully implemented by the city authorities: the city provides a huge selection of places to stay for any budget, various entertainment, and a rich event agenda. Also in recent years, tourism infrastructure has been actively developing, aimed at creating a comfortable environment for foreigners who do not know the Russian language.