German National Tourist Board: India’s importance as a source market for international tourism is growing
According to analyses by Skift India, spending on international travel grew by 17% annually between 2008 and 2019, four times faster than global tourism as a whole.
For 2027, Skift forecasts further growth of 230% compared to 2019. This puts India in the top 5 source markets for global tourism.
To continue participating in the rapid growth of the Indian outbound market, the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) is systematically expanding its market activities on the subcontinent.
At a press conference in New Delhi, Petra Hedorfer, CEO of the GNTB, explained the strategic approaches to future market development in India: “We have been working the Indian market with a sales agency for two decades.”
She added, “In 2015, we initiated an India pool for the first time, which has been extremely successful in supporting the activities of German partners in India.”
The number of overnight stays by Indian guests in Germany rose by almost 40 per cent from 693,000 to 962,000 in 2019.
With a new edition of the India Pool and market-specific activities, we are building bridges between the demand from Indian travellers and the tourism offering in Germany. Given the changing conditions – especially technological developments – we are also organizing a high-profile delegation trip with top managers from the German travel industry next spring with the GNTB India Digital Travel Knowledge Tour.”
Increasing importance of India as a source market for German inbound tourism
The flow of travellers from India to Germany has been growing steadily for many years.
After the end of the coronavirus pandemic, Indian guests generated 826,000 overnight stays in hotels and guesthouses in 2023 – an increase of 33% compared to 2022.
With a recovery rate of 86%, the Indian market is recovering much faster from the COVID-19 pandemic than all other Asian countries. Tourism Economics forecasts 1.6 million overnight stays from India to Germany every year by the end of the decade. The Indian market is also promising in terms of value creation.
According to IPK International, the total turnover of all Indian tourists in Germany in 2023 was 900 million euros.
DZT India Digital Travel Knowledge Tour – 04. bis 09. Mai 2025
Technological innovation and networking with the international travel industry are the central themes of the delegation trip. CEOs from the German travel industry will meet forward-looking Indian tech and travel companies in Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai.
They will gain valuable insights into the specific needs of the Indian target group and current trends that are characterized by the rapid digital transformation in the market. At the same time, there are opportunities to initiate collaborations with leading Indian market players to tap into the full potential of this dynamic market for German inbound tourism.
Special campaigns for the Indian market
With the ‘Live like a local’ project, Indian influencers immerse themselves directly in the local customs and traditions of various regions in Germany and share their authentic impressions with a wide reach on their social media channels. The project takes up the high digital competence of Indian tourists with an interactive personalized travel guide that combines interactive map material with the points of interest from the user’s profile.
Germany offers numerous hotspots and romantic locations for the lavishly organized events of Indian wedding parties. The GNTB is targeting this specific group with a special wedding campaign.
GNTB India-Pool 2025
The German National Tourist Board is launching an India Pool for the second time in 2025 to bundle its market development efforts in India. The GNTB is investing in the Indian market together with the German travel industry, which is predominantly made up of SMEs, to increase brand awareness of Germany as a travel destination and thus tap into the market potential even more effectively.
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