Berlin - a destination all of its own


Term Paper, 2003

19 Pages, Grade: alle ECTS-Punkte erreicht


Excerpt


Table of contents

1. Attractions and attributes of the capital
1.1. Entertainment
1.2. Europe` s congress city n° 1
1.3. Shopping destination
1.4. Attractive capital of water
1.5. Sports metropolis

2. Swot analysis

3. USP

4. Market analysis

5. Future trends

6. Marketing of the destination
6.1. BTM
6.2. Partner für Berlin
6.3. Blue Band Management Hotels Limited
6.4. Bao Berlin
6.5.1. The Marketing Club Berlin
6.5.2.

7. Problems of the destination

8. Conclusion

Berlin - a destination all of its own

At present, Berlin is more popular than almost any other European city destination. Covering the same area of about 891 square kilometres as New York Berlin unites a large number of urban districts, centres and boroughs. It is the city of encounters: about 3.4 million inhabitants from more than 180 nations form the city` s culture and lifestyle. The demolition of the Wall in 1989 marked the dawn of a new era for Berlin. Brandenburg Gate – once a symbol of the divided Germany – has again become the emblem of the German capital. Around it, the new centre of Berlin is rising up, and the future of the city becomes visible. Berlin is the political centre for decision-making in Germany. This is the seat of government, parliament, regional representation agencies and top associations of trade and industry. The region has at its disposal an environment of science and research unique in Germany. Here, technology of the future is being developed and employed today. International facilities, schools and institutes promote the exchange of ideas and international dialogue.

Numerous parks and gardens, along with about 400,000 trees along the streets of the city, ensure a favourable climate in the central districts. Berlin is the city of woods, parks, rivers and lakes. A unique area of local recreation is at everyone` s doorstep. A broad range of facilities for sport, leisure and recreation is offered in Berlin- the city that never sleeps.

As you can see Germany` s largest city is always worth a visit: it is open 24 hours a day, offering something for every taste: shopping, peace and quiet for relaxing, cultural enjoyment, sport adventures etc. That` s why the following project work considers the destination Berlin with its strengths and weaknesses as well as opportunities and risks. The question: what is so special about Berlin? will be answered and the market especially its growth on national and international level, competitors, customers and appearing trends is analysed. Concerning the management it` s a question of the development and marketing of a city or region surrounded by increasing competition so that strategies, projects or tasks of different suppliers are shown.

1. Attractions and attributes of the capital

1.1. Entertainment

The Berlin cultural scene with its volume, variety, liveliness and attractiveness contributes significantly to the unmistakable profile of the city. The seventeen state museums form the largest museum complex of the whole continent (besides Berlin` s unique variety of 170 museums) and is a theatrical city with three opera houses, over 150 theatres and stage companies and a host of variety theatres and music-halls. Different open-air theatres expect up to 22,000 patrons each evening during the summer months. Summer in Berlin offers major parades, spectacular processions and fun street festivals all over the city. Music accompanies Berlin through the summer: whether open air or in the music temples - scarcely a day passes without musical highlights and the city presents also international events.

1.2. Europe` s congress city n° 1

In recent years congresses have been staged and celebrated in Berlin more frequently than ever before. Berlin is becoming increasingly attractive as a conference and congress location. Besides the International Congress Center, the German capital now has numerous other locations for upscale trade shows, conferences and congresses. For the ICC, 2001 was one of its most successful years ever: 575 congresses with 232,000 participants were staged in Europe's largest congress centre. The visitors even generated an influx of purchasing power of approx. € 1 billion. It is not surprising that in 2001 Berlin is in a very creditable 7th position in the global rankings according to recent statistics from the Union of International Associations which focuses on large-scale events with a strong international involvement.

1.3. Shopping destination

When it comes to fashion design Berlin has become a centre in particular for young and avant-garde fashion. A stroll along the renowned Berlin boulevard Kurfürstendamm and the side roads has a lot to offer for everybody; from famous department stores to the many international fashion boutiques, restaurants and cafés. Friedrichstraße has succeeded in returning to the glory of the once famed boulevard around 1900. Kaufhaus des Westens is yet another popular shopping temple and, at the same time, a magnet for tourists because there's nothing you won't find in KaDeWe. The Potsdamer Platz with its head quarters, offices, theatres, cinemas, variétes and even a gambling hall will become again the busiest place. The Coral Fashion Show is a spectacular event which turns Berlin into the catwalk of the superlatives (1,111 metres) where international fashion is presented.

1.4. Attractive capital of water

On the approach to the city by plane Berlin known as Germany`s “greenest” metropolis already offers visitors a fascinating landscape with its expansive lakes, parks and forests. Almost one-third of the city area consists of woodland and water. In no other city in Germany it is possible to enjoy nature and culture so extensively from the water. 51.7 km2 water area is part of Berlin; that's almost 7% of the city area. The city, through which the rivers Spree and Havel flow, was once a hanseatic city and with 1,700 bridges Berlin has more bridges than Venice. There are six different companies offering boat trips including entire Berlin weekend on the water or weekend trips on a hotel boat. Air Service Berlin affords visitors to Berlin breathtaking views of the city. Another highlight, which is still in the pilot phase, involves environmentally friendly solar and hydrogen boats. Besides Berlin is attractive for water tourists traveling in their own or in a hired boat because around a dozen inner city moorings are available and the so called "Yellow Wave" uses pictograms to offer information on overnight opportunities, free guest moorings, toilets, restaurants, water depth etc..

1.5. Sports metropolis

The die is cast: the Soccer World Cup 2006 is to be staged in Germany and the glory of this international event will also extend to Berlin where a total of 1,500 sports venues are spread over the city. Sports events begin in January with the traditional Six-Day Race and in May the city is regularly taken over by the international tennis circus of the "Berlin Open". Every year the famous marathon with participants from around the globe takes and the "Blade Night" for inline skaters take place. Anyone who prefers being without wheels can go to Berlin's many green areas like the Tiergarten or on one of the many sports grounds. 120 sailing and 56 rowing associations offer membership on the largest connected water area in Europe. The ski centre "Glacier" boasts the longest indoor ski course in the world. Berlin is increasingly becoming the venue for important sports events e.g. the European Swimming Championships.

2. SWOT- analysis

Defining the strengths and weaknesses of a destination is significant to determine the chances and risks as well and to receive a certain potential of the destination and point out possibilities for improvement. Following the strengths and weaknesses of Berlin are presented:

The German capital has a central location in Europe; it represents therefore a strategic location for international corporations and has direct access to markets in central and eastern Europe. Besides Berlin established itself in international competition as one of the prime locations for high technology and modern service companies. Berlin’s cultural offering is matchless: opera houses, theatres, concert halls, museums and galleries make a world-class cultural programme available. Relating to an ETC guest questionnaire from 2001 the tourists like the pulsation of the city where it couldn` t be boring, the vivid history and multifaceted architecture and especially the hospitability of the inhabitants. Getting around quickly is made possible by an ultramodern infrastructure. Berlin’s raw material is knowledge – the city has a science and research environment that is unique in Germany with 3 universities, 10 specialist colleges, 4 art colleges and over 80 state-subsidised research establishments where products, solutions and innovations are developed for the world of tomorrow. In addition Berlin is the city of woods, parks, rivers and lakes with a share of one third of the area. A varied offer of accommodation and gastronomy with culinary specialities ensure with the other strengths an outstanding name recognition on the domestic and international level. When it comes to explain the weaknesses it is noticeable that the extent of them is lower than that of the strengths. In spite of this the many road works combined with the traffic limitations are not visitor friendly. Add to this the language level concerning the claim to be also an international destination should be improved. This reaches from the signage on the streets to the knowledge of languages especially English of employees in museums, affairs etc. The urban atmosphere could be problematic with appearing traffic jams, an unhealthy climate or places or rather events that run over for instance the New Year`s Eve at the Brandenburger Gate. This might deter some tourists who feel such experiences as troublesome. Partially the city is a high-priced destination for example the prices of the public means of transport but related to the ETC questionnaire most of the visitors are confident with price ratio.

A further strengthening of image of Berlin for example to get among the first three in the ranking of international visited cities or to emphasize its outstanding congress location are opportunities. Besides the trend to travel far away a new trend to travel in the vicinity appears. On this way more local and domestic people are attracted to search recreation in a known area. A higher qualification of the sport demand leads to wellness sport and to soft adventure. For both demands Berlin has different suppliers for example the Estrel as biggest hotel in Germany with several wellness offers or the ski centre Glacier with offers for soft adventure sports. Relying on the prognoses of the growth of tourism worldwide estimations expect an increase of overnight stays from about 12 million (2002) on 14,6 million (2005). Unforeseeable dangers and risks might be terroristic acts or other political incidents which affect the whole tourism industry with the reduction of overnight stays, flights etc., avoiding the attacked region and producing a negative image. Socio-economic trends are connected with a changed consume behaviour. An increasing social problem in tourism comes to light namely that the customers divide into a group of people with a good income but who have not much time and a group of people with a bad income who have much leisure. For a destination like Berlin it is difficult to take position in the upper sector. Combined with such economic changes the declining domestic tourism is a risk because only 27% of the guests are foreign guests. For that reason it is an opportunity to search by specific marketing activities new potential of international guests.

[...]

Excerpt out of 19 pages

Details

Title
Berlin - a destination all of its own
College
Stralsund University of Applied Sciences
Course
Attractions und Destinations Management
Grade
alle ECTS-Punkte erreicht
Author
Year
2003
Pages
19
Catalog Number
V18898
ISBN (eBook)
9783638231497
ISBN (Book)
9783640916900
File size
430 KB
Language
English
Notes
SWOT-Analysis, USP, Market Analysis, Future Trends, Marketing, Problems . . .
Keywords
Destination, Berlin, Attractions, Destinations, Management
Quote paper
Beate Pehlchen (Author), 2003, Berlin - a destination all of its own, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/18898

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