Officials hope to entice German tourists to area

Tuesday, 01 November 2005

By TOM JACKSON
tomjackson@sanduskyregister.com

When Germans consider a U.S. vacation, they usually want to see New York City, Florida and the cowboys and Indians of the American West.

Tourist officials are trying to make sure they don't overlook the roller coasters and water parks in Sandusky, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.

German tourism is a big component of the tourist industry. The U.S. Department of Commerce says 1.3 million German tourists came to the United States in 2004, a 12 percent increase over 2003.

British tourists usually come to the United States to see relatives, said Emilie Poua, manager of multicultural and international tourism for the Convention & Visitors Bureau of Greater Cleveland, but the Germans are serious tourists.

"The Germans usually come to explore," she said.

Poua and Joan Van Offeren, executive director of Sandusky/Erie County Visitors & Convention Bureau, helped serve as tour guides for three Germans who came to the area during the weekend for a "fam," or a familiarization tour.

Peter Frischmuth, who runs the Argus photo agency in Hamburg, was the photographer for "The Great Lakes," a pictorial atlas with 240 pictures published about six years ago in Germany.

Frischmuth, who has specialized in shooting pictures in the U.S., also worked on photo atlases for the Pacific Northwest, Florida, Las Vegas and New Orleans.

"These are atlases you can buy everywhere in Germany," he said.

Frischmuth didn't have time to linger at Cedar Point when he worked on his Great Lakes book -- "I went in, took a picture and left" -- but he was able to spend time there this weekend for articles he is illustrating that will appear in several German newspapers.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a "great destination" for people who grew up with the music, said Frischmuth, 48.

He said Hamburg residents haven't forgotten the Beatles developed their sound during a long engagement in a Hamburg nightclub.

"Everybody knows that the Beatles started their great career over there," Frischmuth said.

The two other Germans who were taken to Cedar Point on Sunday and to breakfast at Kalahari's Great Karoo restaurant on Monday morning were Sigrun Lueddecke, publisher of Bonnes Vacances, a magazine published twice a year that's aimed at upscale German travelers, and Hans-Joachim Goldschmidt, who runs the Planet Tours travel agency in Berlin.

Luedecke will feature an article about Cleveland in the next issue of her magazine, next to articles about Hong Kong, Malaysia, Rome and other interesting destinations.

FunCoast.com is your online guide to summer fun for Cedar Point, the LakeErie Islands and Sandusky area. Our site offers up-to-date information on area attractions, restaurants, hotels, gasoline prices, ferry schedules, swimming, birding and fishing, along with a complete listing of events happening in the Sandusky/Cedar Point area. To use our Webcam and zoom in on Cedar Point's rollercoasters, go to http://funcam.funcoast.com

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