The international communication campaign #DiscoverGermanyFromHome of the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) has been accepted with an unusually strong performance in the 50 source markets of German Incoming tourism worldwide. Since the 'go-live' on March 16, it has reached 9.6 million users via the GNTB's channels and generated more than a million interactions. There are also 19,000 contributions about the campaign on external channels, which in turn triggered 210,000 interactions. The sentiment for the campaign is outstanding, with 94.4 percent positive reactions. In order to maintain the dialogue with the customers of tomorrow during the phase of the lockdown, the campaign initially aimed to provide inspiring, empathetic, and informative content, which could be played out interactive via the GNTB's more than 30 social media channels. Since mid-April, a microsite has been supplementing the digital information offering with virtual experience formats for destinations in all 16 federal states, Spotify playlists, an interactive map, quizzes, and recipes - in short: everything that makes you want to travel to Germany. At this point, various 45.sec films complement the campaign covering nature, culture and more. The dreams of the diverse offerings of Germany as a travel destination can be seen on the GNTB's YouTube channel and the microsite. In the next step, the GNTB expands the microsite with an AI chatbot. Potential visitors to Germany receive the most current information on travel planning, travel modalities, legal aspects, and tourism offers. "The established appeal of our 'Destination Germany' brand, combined with high flexibility in creating and implementing the campaign, as well as the multi-layered use of digital possibilities keeps the interest in the product alive - even in times of lockdown," explained Petra Hedorfer, CEO of the German National Tourist Board (GNTB). "With inspiration and information, we maintain active customer dialogue and contacts in the international travel industry. We are creating the basis today for launching successful recovery programs in the future." In line with the current development in the various source markets, recovery measures could start in the second half of the year. Campaigns are rescheduled, and content could be rolled out quickly in accordance with the market. In addition to the empathy campaign for customers, the GNTB informs its partners in the international travel industry and Germany tourism with continuously updated information on the Corona crisis, the GNTB's global activities, and the current situation in the 15 most essential source markets on the trade pages of its online portal. — SG
