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Germany's red carpet welcome faces first World Cup test
Germany's red carpet welcome faces first World Cup test Thu Dec 8, 2005 10:43 AM GMT By Philip Blenkinsop BERLIN, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Germany opens its doors to World Cup visitors this week with a charm offensive designed to break down stereotypes and show Germans can be fun-loving as well as efficient. The hosts of next year's soccer extravanganza hope many of the expected one million foreign fans will enjoy their experience so much that they return as tourists. To win them over, authorities believe they must not only lay on a well-organised tournament but also convince visitors that united Germany is a modern, vibrant and friendly place. The marketing job begins this week. Friday's draw for the month-long World Cup starting on June 9 will attract 1,650 journalists, 500 FIFA officials, the coaches of all but one of the 32 qualified teams and an estimated television audience of 320 million. Host city Leipzig, aware the world is watching, set the tone on Thursday by unrolling what it claimed was the world's longest red carpet while the federal government and tourism groups have kicked off a campaign to promote service and friendliness. "I think that people from Asian nations are quicker to smile. Our characters are different," Franz Beckenbauer, head of the cup's organising committee, told journalists at the launch. "We have a one-off chance to organise this World Cup. We won't get the opportunity again for another 50 years so it's worth at least smiling for a few weeks." "The fact that such a campaign is necessary shows there are deficits," said Markus Kurscheidt, sports economy expert from the Ruhr University in Bochum. "Germany is not as customer-focused as, say, the United States, Britain and other countries. But it makes sense to try. The indirect economic impact of the World Cup has the potential to be much larger than the direct impact." Although Germans can be quite friendly and helpful to tourists, some observers have called the country a service desert. Berlin, where the World Cup final will be played, is notorious for its surly, inattentive waiters and shopkeepers. Germany is mindful of the public relations successes pulled off by Olympic Games hosts Barcelona and Sydney, and the feel-good atmospheres that developed during past World Cups. Armin Brysch, board member of the German National Tourist Board (GNTB), rejects the notion that German service is poor. "We are better than our reputation, although of course there is always room for improvement," Brysch said. The national campaign will seek to encourage fine service, running competitions to find such Germans as the friendliest taxi driver. Foreign tourism has grown consistently, with overnight stays rising 9 percent last year and probably by 7 to 8 percent in 2005. The GNTB expects an extra 1.7 million stays next year because of the World Cup alone. Price is a key factor in the battle for visitors, with hotel rates in Berlin and Germany's other major cities far lower than those in tourist magnets like London or Paris. Kurscheidt argues that Germany has less to lose than countries like Portugal, hosts of soccer's Euro 2004, or Italy, which staged the 1990 World Cup. There, the flood of football fans is believed to have deterred many regular tourists. "They are well-established tourist destinations. They don't need a big football tournament. They have the sun," Kurscheidt said. Germany cannot compete over sunshine but it will surely be hoping to avoid the incessant rain suffered in 1974, the last time a World Cup was played on German soil. |
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Germany's red carpet welcome faces first World Cup test
Earl Evleth writes:
Germany's red carpet welcome faces first World Cup test Thu Dec 8, 2005 10:43 AM GMT By Philip Blenkinsop [...] Although Germans can be quite friendly and helpful to tourists, some observers have called the country a service desert. Berlin, where the World Cup final will be played, is notorious for its surly, inattentive waiters and shopkeepers. It is? My German is modest, to say the least, and they were perfectly pleasant to me. Des |
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Germany's red carpet welcome faces first World Cup test
Des Small wrote:
Earl Evleth writes: Germany's red carpet welcome faces first World Cup test Thu Dec 8, 2005 10:43 AM GMT By Philip Blenkinsop [...] Although Germans can be quite friendly and helpful to tourists, some observers have called the country a service desert. Berlin, where the World Cup final will be played, is notorious for its surly, inattentive waiters and shopkeepers. It is? My German is modest, to say the least, and they were perfectly pleasant to me. The writer was confusing Paris with Berlin. I found Berliners very nice. It's not an effusive friendliness- and I found them quite laid back- which is not to say reserved. -- David Horne- http://www.davidhorne.net usenet (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk http://homepage.mac.com/davidhornecomposer http://soundjunction.org |
#4
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Germany's red carpet welcome faces first World Cup test
Once again, evleth posts things he doesn't know about.
Countless trips to Germany and not one single surly waiter in view. "Earl Evleth" a écrit dans le message de news: ... Germany's red carpet welcome faces first World Cup test Thu Dec 8, 2005 10:43 AM GMT By Philip Blenkinsop BERLIN, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Germany opens its doors to World Cup visitors this week with a charm offensive designed to break down stereotypes and show Germans can be fun-loving as well as efficient. The hosts of next year's soccer extravanganza hope many of the expected one million foreign fans will enjoy their experience so much that they return as tourists. To win them over, authorities believe they must not only lay on a well-organised tournament but also convince visitors that united Germany is a modern, vibrant and friendly place. The marketing job begins this week. Friday's draw for the month-long World Cup starting on June 9 will attract 1,650 journalists, 500 FIFA officials, the coaches of all but one of the 32 qualified teams and an estimated television audience of 320 million. Host city Leipzig, aware the world is watching, set the tone on Thursday by unrolling what it claimed was the world's longest red carpet while the federal government and tourism groups have kicked off a campaign to promote service and friendliness. "I think that people from Asian nations are quicker to smile. Our characters are different," Franz Beckenbauer, head of the cup's organising committee, told journalists at the launch. "We have a one-off chance to organise this World Cup. We won't get the opportunity again for another 50 years so it's worth at least smiling for a few weeks." "The fact that such a campaign is necessary shows there are deficits," said Markus Kurscheidt, sports economy expert from the Ruhr University in Bochum. "Germany is not as customer-focused as, say, the United States, Britain and other countries. But it makes sense to try. The indirect economic impact of the World Cup has the potential to be much larger than the direct impact." Although Germans can be quite friendly and helpful to tourists, some observers have called the country a service desert. Berlin, where the World Cup final will be played, is notorious for its surly, inattentive waiters and shopkeepers. Germany is mindful of the public relations successes pulled off by Olympic Games hosts Barcelona and Sydney, and the feel-good atmospheres that developed during past World Cups. Armin Brysch, board member of the German National Tourist Board (GNTB), rejects the notion that German service is poor. "We are better than our reputation, although of course there is always room for improvement," Brysch said. The national campaign will seek to encourage fine service, running competitions to find such Germans as the friendliest taxi driver. Foreign tourism has grown consistently, with overnight stays rising 9 percent last year and probably by 7 to 8 percent in 2005. The GNTB expects an extra 1.7 million stays next year because of the World Cup alone. Price is a key factor in the battle for visitors, with hotel rates in Berlin and Germany's other major cities far lower than those in tourist magnets like London or Paris. Kurscheidt argues that Germany has less to lose than countries like Portugal, hosts of soccer's Euro 2004, or Italy, which staged the 1990 World Cup. There, the flood of football fans is believed to have deterred many regular tourists. "They are well-established tourist destinations. They don't need a big football tournament. They have the sun," Kurscheidt said. Germany cannot compete over sunshine but it will surely be hoping to avoid the incessant rain suffered in 1974, the last time a World Cup was played on German soil. |
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Germany's red carpet welcome faces first World Cup test
On 8/12/05 12:49, in article
1h7920s.v2zq151i6drs9N%this_address_is_for_spam@ya hoo.com, "David Horne, _the_ chancellor of the duchy of besses o' th' barn and prestwich tesco 24h offy" wrote: The writer was confusing Paris with Berlin. I found Berliners very nice. It's not an effusive friendliness- and I found them quite laid back- which is not to say reserved. Could be. I never had a problem there either. Nor in Paris! That did get me curious, however, so I googled Berlin "poor service" and got 23,100 hits Paris "poor service = 137,000 hits London "poor service = 235,000 hits Rome "poor service = 87,000 hits New York"poor service = 268,000 hits So Berlin is low on this poor service test. Of course these google test are unreliable, but I don't know another course. Otherwise we are left with people's "ain't if awful" stories. |
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Germany's red carpet welcome faces first World Cup test
Your own stories are completely unreliable
"Earl Evleth" a écrit dans le message de news: ... On 8/12/05 12:49, in article 1h7920s.v2zq151i6drs9N%this_address_is_for_spam@ya hoo.com, "David Horne, _the_ chancellor of the duchy of besses o' th' barn and prestwich tesco 24h offy" wrote: The writer was confusing Paris with Berlin. I found Berliners very nice. It's not an effusive friendliness- and I found them quite laid back- which is not to say reserved. Could be. I never had a problem there either. Nor in Paris! That did get me curious, however, so I googled Berlin "poor service" and got 23,100 hits Paris "poor service = 137,000 hits London "poor service = 235,000 hits Rome "poor service = 87,000 hits New York"poor service = 268,000 hits So Berlin is low on this poor service test. Of course these google test are unreliable, but I don't know another course. Otherwise we are left with people's "ain't if awful" stories. |
#7
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Germany's red carpet welcome faces first World Cup test
David Horne, _the_ chancellor of the duchy of besses o' th' barn and prestwich tesco 24h offy wrote:
Des Small wrote: Although Germans can be quite friendly and helpful to tourists, some observers have called the country a service desert. Berlin, where the World Cup final will be played, is notorious for its surly, inattentive waiters and shopkeepers. It is? My German is modest, to say the least, and they were perfectly pleasant to me. The writer was confusing Paris with Berlin. I found Berliners very nice. It's not an effusive friendliness- and I found them quite laid back- which is not to say reserved. Genau. -- Julie ********** Check out the blog of my 9 week Germany adventure at www.blurty.com/users/jholm Check out my Travel Pages (non-commercial) at http://www.dragonsholm.org/travel.htm |
#8
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Germany's red carpet welcome faces first World Cup test
Earl Evleth wrote:
On 8/12/05 12:49, in article 1h7920s.v2zq151i6drs9N%this_address_is_for_spam@ya hoo.com, "David Horne, _the_ chancellor of the duchy of besses o' th' barn and prestwich tesco 24h offy" wrote: The writer was confusing Paris with Berlin. I found Berliners very nice. It's not an effusive friendliness- and I found them quite laid back- which is not to say reserved. Could be. I never had a problem there either. Nor in Paris! That did get me curious, however, so I googled Berlin "poor service" and got 23,100 hits Paris "poor service = 137,000 hits London "poor service = 235,000 hits Rome "poor service = 87,000 hits New York"poor service = 268,000 hits So Berlin is low on this poor service test. Of course these google test are unreliable, but I don't know another course. It's not just unreliable- it's dumb. Paris "awful city" get's half the hits roughly that London "awful city" gets. So Paris must be half as awful, right? However, Paris "excellent city" also gets half the number, so it must be half as excellent, no? Or perhaps, just maybe, one city generates more hits _in general_. But, do go ahead, and use google hits as a test... (London "excellent food" gets more hits that Paris "excellent food" too, for the same reason.) -- David Horne- http://www.davidhorne.net usenet (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk http://homepage.mac.com/davidhornecomposer http://soundjunction.org |
#9
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Germany's red carpet welcome faces first World Cup test
Des Small wrote:
Earl Evleth writes: Germany's red carpet welcome faces first World Cup test Thu Dec 8, 2005 10:43 AM GMT By Philip Blenkinsop [...] Although Germans can be quite friendly and helpful to tourists, some observers have called the country a service desert. Well, not just observers. It's somthing very popular to complain about "Servicewüste Deutschland" among Germans themselves. Berlin, where the World Cup final will be played, is notorious for its surly, inattentive waiters and shopkeepers. Not just Berlin. It is? My German is modest, to say the least, and they were perfectly pleasant to me. It must have been a lucky day. Over 50% of my frequent visits to German restaurants and shops are leaving me a negative impression. Jens |
#10
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Germany's red carpet welcome faces first World Cup test
Jens Arne Maennig wrote: It must have been a lucky day. Over 50% of
my frequent visits to German restaurants and shops are leaving me a negative impression. I agree that Germany is not very service oriented, but on my frequent visits to German restaurants and shops very few leave me with a negative impression. I just don't go back to places with poor service if possible, and many places actually have excellent service. George |
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