17 DEC 2018: Beer and bratwurst perhaps most readily comes to mind when travellers consider the culinary capacities of Germany, but there is obviously much more to the central European nation and it’s a point the country’s tourist board is eager to serve up.

The German National Tourist Office and partners Lufthansa and Wines of Germany hosted members of the trade Dec. 10 in Toronto to highlight the 2018 Culinary Germany marketing theme with local delicacies courtesy of Ricarda’s restaurant.

“Germany is a gourmet paradise,” GNTO Canadian director Julia Dywelski declared, noting that visitors can tuck in at a wide range of venues, from pubs to gourmet restaurants.

For example, the country boasts close to 300 Michelin-starred restaurants – second only to France in Europe, she noted.

Indeed, Germany lays claim to 140 types of wine (across 13 wine regions), 1,500 kinds of sausage, and, of course, a brand or two of brew (5,000 to be precise). And with 300 varieties (and 3,200 types) of bread, the country has earned UNESCO status in the intangible cultural heritage category for its breadmaking

There are also countless local specialties to tempt the taste buds, from Black Forest cake to currywurst in Berlin, Spree Forest gherkins, Hessen green sauce, Saarland goat cheese, Schleswig-Holstein marzipan, Frisian tea, Bremen coffee and much more.

But while the focus is often on traditional fare, Dyswelski notes that visitors will also find modern and contemporary cuisine, and opportunities to eat a wide range of venues from street fairs to supper clubs, and even dine in an igloo.

Meanwhile, activities can range from attending food festivals to cooking classes or visiting a wine estate.

Of course, food and drink are only a small part of Germany’s attraction for visitors and Dywelski reported that 541,000 Canadians overnighted in the country in the first nine months of 2018, a 3.3 percent increase over the same period last year. Germany’s ambitious goal is to see that total nearly double to a million Canadian overnight stays by 2030.

Overall, Germany welcomed nearly 84 million visitors in 2017 (+ 3.6 percent).

Upcoming highlights in the country include next year’s centenary celebration of the Bauhaus movement and the once-a-decade Oberammergau Passion Play in 2020.

Meanwhile, Lufthansa’s Chris Wendland suggested that there’s no better time to visit Germany than 2019 with LH set to introduce “a new travel experience” for Canadians courtesy of its new A350-900 aircraft, which debuted on a seasonal basis in Vancouver in the summer, but which will soon fly from Toronto.

With only 10 of the state-of-the-art planes currently in the fleet, the introduction of one of them to YYZ demonstrates Lufthansa’s commitment to Canada, says Wendland.

In addition to top-notch cuisine and complex jet-lag lighting, plus cutting-edge technology that, for example, allows passengers to organize their onboard entertainment before they leave home, the plane is also environmentally sensitive, using 25 percent less fuel, emitting 25 percent less C02 and cutting take-noise in half, Wendland adds.

Dubbing the A350-900 a “five-star” aircraft with LH’s “five-star service,” Wendland says: “No airline can match what we have to offer.”