Germany's Gay & Lesbian culture is legendary and needs to be experienced first hand to be believed. All the big cities, and especially Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Cologne and Frankfurt, have thriving gay scenes, as do many medium-sized and even relatively small towns.



In their latest GayGermany campaign, the German National Tourist Office (GNTO) has unveiled a new approach to lesbian and gay travel promotion.

The ’100% GayGermany’ campaign is a first-of-its-kind online interactive promotion -- featuring individual short video stories of gays and lesbians talking about Germany.

Currently running online at GAY GERMANY, members of the public can vote for the person they would like to win a free trip to Berlin in 2009. People who vote are also entered into a separate draw to win a free trip to Berlin.

The personal stories of those on the videos are highly engaging.

Amongst the 15 featured videos, two include people talking about having visited Berlin in the 1980s as members of the military. In contrast, one person featured was born in the year the Berlin Wall fell.

Another person describes his strong emotions when hearing an orchestra in Munich. One gay man said that ’German men are the hottest in the world’ -- and that was a factor for his wish to visit Germany.



"The purpose of this campaign is not simply to advertise or push Germany" says Schuchmann. "It is all about taking a new approach. By letting gay and lesbian people tell their own stories, people learn from others what it is that makes Germany such a special place to visit.


We want to engage with our gay and lesbian travellers to let them tell us - and the world - what makes a trip to Germany so enticing. Being able to send the winners to Berlin to experience it all for themselves next year as our guests is a great bonus of the whole ’100% GayGermany’ campaign"
 

Germany always had a tradition of dressing up – if you have visited Cologne during the Carnival season, you know what we’re talking about.

Here the locals see nothing strange in gentlemen - straight or gay - dressing up as stout and pouting ladies. In fact, this is positively encouraged and the more outrageous the outfit the more admired you are. Or what about the traditional Bavarian leather shorts as much favoured for their incredible practical design as their ability to show off a man’s attributes to their best advantage (OK, apart from really hairy knees, that is).



Equally popular in Germany - and almost a tradition - is taking your clothes off. We just love our spa treatments and have been experimenting with H2O ever since bathhouses were established in the Middle Ages.

Here, rowdy crowds would meet once a month and everybody would scrub each other’s backs – wether they needed it or not. In these establishments, the “entertainment” was an optional extra – along with the choice titbits of food and quantities of malt beverages being served.

Admittedly, the town’s authorities eventually curtailed the more extravagant outpourings but recently, bathhouses have made a welcome comeback.


Germany is truly an amazing destination. Unique art treasures, world famous orchestras, architectural structures of fascinating beauty - culture in Germany has many facets.

From its Roman roots to contemporary modern age you meet culture in beautiful cities as well as in the open country. A fabulous festival for all senses.


Very rare are the countries where you find cultural evidence in such density from architecture and literature to fine arts and music.

The 100% GayGermany campaign runs until 30 November 2008. Entry is via GAY GERMANY  and is free.


Full details, terms and conditions are available online.