Tourism Media Relations for the German Market
Professional tourism media relations help your stories reach the audiences that matter: travelers, journalists, multipliers, tour operators and decision-makers in the German-speaking market.
We support destinations, hotels, resorts, tourism boards and travel brands in building credible visibility across relevant media in Germany, Austria and Switzerland — through strategic PR, strong editorial angles, journalist-ready content and targeted outreach to selected travel, lifestyle, business, trade and daily media.
Why media relations matter in tourism
Travel decisions are not shaped by advertising alone. Travelers rely on editorial articles, travel features, destination reports, interviews, recommendations, expert opinions and digital content when choosing where to go, where to stay and what to experience.
This is where professional tourism media relations come in.
While advertising buys visibility, media relations build trust. When your destination, hotel or travel brand appears in credible media environments, it creates relevance and recognition among potential guests, business partners, tour operators and multipliers.
This is particularly important in the German-speaking market. In Germany, Austria and Switzerland, journalistic quality, credible storytelling and relevant editorial angles play a central role in successful tourism communication.
Media relations for destinations, hotels and travel brands
Our tourism media relations services are suitable for:
- Destinations and tourism boards
- Destination management organizations
- Cities, regions and municipalities
- Hotels, resorts and hotel groups
- Convention bureaus and MICE providers
- Tour operators and tourism service providers
- Cultural, nature and experience-based attractions
- International travel brands targeting the German market and the wider DACH region
Our goal is to turn your tourism offer into relevant media stories — clearly positioned, journalistically prepared and adapted to the expectations of German-speaking editors and audiences.
Our tourism media relations services
Editorial strategy and media planning
Successful media relations begin with a clear strategy. We analyze your target groups, communication goals, travel occasions, seasonal opportunities and relevant media segments in the German-speaking market.
Based on this, we develop an editorial strategy for your destination, hotel or travel brand. This includes concrete storylines, press angles, target media, key messages and a realistic implementation plan for Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Possible topic areas include sustainability, culture, culinary travel, nature, outdoor activities, luxury travel, family travel, wellness, MICE, new openings, seasonal highlights, events and unique travel experiences.
Press releases and editorial content
We create professional press materials that meet journalistic standards and communicate your topics clearly and effectively.
This may include:
- Press releases
- Background texts
- Fact sheets
- Story pitches
- Interview offers
- Destination stories
- Press kits
- Texts for online press rooms and media sections
Our content is not overloaded with advertising language. Instead, we make your stories editorially relevant and easy for journalists and editors to work with. This increases the chance that your topics will be picked up by relevant media.
Media contacts and targeted press lists
In tourism media relations, relevance matters more than volume. We identify suitable media, editors and journalists for your specific tourism topics.
Relevant media segments may include:
- Travel media
- Daily and weekly newspapers
- Lifestyle and food media
- Business and trade media
- MICE and business travel media
- Sustainability and outdoor media
- Online magazines, blogs and digital platforms
We build targeted press lists and maintain long-term media relationships, ensuring that your stories reach the right editorial contacts.
Story pitching and editorial placement
Media relations is more than sending out information. The decisive factor is a relevant angle and a targeted approach.
We develop individual pitches for selected editors and position your stories where they fit editorially. In doing so, we consider editorial interests, seasonal planning, target audiences and current tourism trends in the German-speaking market.
This creates opportunities for editorial articles, interviews, mentions, travel reports, features and background stories.
Press trips and individual media research
Press trips are a powerful instrument in tourism media relations. They allow journalists to experience your destination, hotel or tourism offer first-hand and develop authentic editorial stories.
We support you with:
- Press trip concepts
- Selection of suitable journalists and media representatives
- Invitations and participant management
- Program planning
- Briefings for local partners
- Coordination and communication
- Follow-up and clipping monitoring
In addition to group press trips, we also organize individual media research trips for selected journalists and editors.
Media partnerships and editorial special formats
In addition to classic press relations, we develop media partnerships that give your tourism topics targeted visibility.
These may include:
- Editorial topic partnerships
- Advertorials and native advertising
- Competitions with media partners
- Newsletter collaborations
- Digital specials
- Podcast or video formats
- Combined print and online formats
We ensure that every cooperation fits your brand, target audience and desired positioning.
Clipping, reporting and evaluation
Transparency is an essential part of our work. We document media coverage, publications and qualitative results.
Our reporting may include:
- Published articles and media mentions
- Reach and media metrics
- Qualitative evaluation of coverage
- Topic resonance
- Learnings for future activities
- Recommendations for optimization
This makes it clear which topics work — and how your tourism media relations can be developed further over time.
What tourism media relations can achieve
Professional media relations can support a wide range of communication goals — from market entry to long-term visibility.
Typical goals include:
- Increasing brand awareness in the German market
- Positioning a destination, hotel or travel brand
- Reaching new target audiences
- Building trust among travelers and partners
- Communicating seasonal and campaign topics
- Promoting new offers, hotels or flight connections
- Initiating press trips and media research
- Building long-term relationships with relevant media
Tourism media relations are particularly effective when they are planned strategically and implemented continuously.
Media relations in the German-speaking DACH market
The German-speaking market places specific demands on tourism communication. Media in Germany, Austria and Switzerland have their own editorial standards, topic priorities, workflows and quality expectations.
We understand the particularities of this market and develop media relations that are not simply translated, but locally adapted.
This means: We prepare international tourism topics in a way that makes them relevant for German-speaking editors — with clear messages, suitable story angles and a strong understanding of journalistic expectations.
How we work:
1. Analysis and goal definition
- We clarify your starting point, target groups, markets, previous PR activities and communication goals.
2. Editorial strategy and media planning
- We develop relevant storylines, define target media and plan concrete media relations measures for your tourism brand.
3. Implementation of media outreach
- We create editorial content, approach selected media, coordinate pitches, manage follow-up questions and support press trips or media partnerships.
4. Reporting and optimization
- You receive transparent reporting on media coverage, results and concrete recommendations for further communication.
Selected Tourism Media Relations Projects
Media relations as a core element of tourism PR
Media relations are the central driver of credibility and brand building in tourism PR. Complementary services such as influencer marketing, content creation and social media advertising can further amplify the impact of communications. Influencer marketing creates authentic digital engagement, content creation delivers high-quality visual and video assets, and social media advertising ensures that selected content reaches relevant audiences in the DACH market in a strategic and measurable way.
Why THIEL PR?
- Specialists in tourism and travel PR
- Deep expertise in the DACH Market
- Editorial excellence instead of mass outreach
- Integrated approach combining PR, influencer marketing and social media advertising
Experience the impact of professional media relations in tourism!
Get a free, no-obligation consultation today.
Frequently asked questions about tourism media relations
What is media relations in tourism?
Media relations in tourism encompasses all activities aimed at securing visibility for tourism-related topics in relevant media outlets. This includes press releases, story pitches, media outreach, press trips, interviews, background briefings and editorial collaborations.
Who can benefit from tourism media relations?
Tourism media relations is suitable for destinations, tourism boards, hotels, resorts, tour operators, cities, regions, convention bureaus and tourism brands looking to increase their visibility in relevant media across their target markets.
Which media outlets do you work with?
Depending on the topic and objectives, we work with travel, lifestyle, national, regional, trade, business, MICE, sustainability, outdoor and online media throughout the German-speaking market (Germany, Austria and Switzerland).
Is media relations worthwhile for international destinations?
Yes. International destinations in particular can benefit significantly from professional media relations when aiming to increase their visibility in the DACH market or strengthen their positioning in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
How quickly can results be expected?
Media relations depends on factors such as the story angle, news value, timing and editorial lead times. Initial feedback and media interest may be generated in the short term, but sustainable visibility is typically achieved through consistent, long-term media relations efforts.