It was a sunny week in the month of May, the perfect time for our field trip. The class group of the MBA in International Tourism Management (MTM) visited the remarkable wine regions of Germany namely, Mosel and Pfalz in the federal state of Rheinland-Pfalz. The main goal of the project was to perform research on these destinations to find the potential to market it to the Asian market. We included many sustainable aspects in the trip such as travelling by train and public transportation, staying at family-owned accommodations, purchasing from local shops etc. The detailed itinerary is as follows.
Day 1
On May 9, we assembled at the Bremen Hbf to catch our long-distance train to Koblenz. The train passed through major cities such as Dusseldorf, Cologne and Bonn etc. Witnessing the view of spectacular rivers of Europe namely, Rhine and Mosel and beautiful vineyards on the way was breath-taking. After a long journey of about 6 and a half hours transferring at Koblenz and Bullay, we finally reached our first stop called Traben-Trarbach in the Mosel region. We checked in at a family-owned apartment and freshened up before we started our guided tour of the underground wine cellar. We learned the history of wine making dating back to 14th century. After the guided trip, all of us headed back to the accommodation. We cooked in different groups and had dinner before we gathered back to do the free wine tasting offered at the accommodation.
Day 2
On May 10, we woke up early to get ready to travel to the neighbouring town called Bernkastel-Kues. We travelled by bus and it took around 45 minutes for us to reach the destination. We went and grabbed some English brochures in the Information center and visited the historic Marktplatz area, which is known for its 400 year old half-timbered houses that reflects the poetry of middle ages. At 12 pm, we were picked up by the team of Dr. Loosen`s (Internationally known vineyard and wine producer) from the Marktplatz. We walked through their vineyards where we were explained about various aspects of Viticulture. They also arranged a wine tasting session along with a light lunch. High quality white wines, Riesling soup, charcuterie and cheese board along with wide range of bread choices and what not! Yumm, still cannot get over that. Another interesting thing that we did for the day was taking the cruise on the Mosel river from Bernkastel Kues back to Traben Trarbach.
Day 3
We woke up early the next day and checked out of the hotel to head towards the another Mosel destination called Cochem. We mainly visited the DMO (Destination Management Organization) where we gained good insights on their target group , marketing campaign and statistics on the number of arrivals and overnight stays. Then with a private bus, we visited the famous castle called “Burg Eltz” which was located 40 minutes away from Cochem city. We hiked up to the castle from the parking area to reach the castle. We didn’t expect that one coming. After a tough hike and a guided tour there, we headed back to Cochem to collect our luggage's back from the DMO. Then we took a regional train heading towards the historic city called Trier. With great hustle and bustle, we finally found our accommodation and checked in. Uffff, yes It was indeed a long day. But at-least we ordered pizza for dinner and enjoyed it.
Day 4
The temperature was almost 27 degrees Celsius which made our Day 4 perfect. We checked out of the hotel in Trier and reached the central train station to store our luggage's. Then we visited the famous UNESCO world heritage site named Porta Nigra which is an unique architecture from the Roman period. Then, we went to the DMO and the rest of the day was free and easy. Finally, we started our journey back from Trier in the evening and headed towards Landau in Pfalz region.
Day 5
The private bus was rented for the whole day. We went to a vinegar tasting place named Dokternhof, where we were given a detailed explanation on vinegar production. Then, we went to the Neustadt area to check out the DMO and the Hambach castle, which is known for German democracy. Then we stopped by in many wine villages along the German wine route to take snaps. We had a final dinner together in the midst of beautiful vineyards ending with the final review session.
Day 6
It was the day of our departure. Hence, we didn’t want to take up any tiring activities. We visited a few wine villages, took a walk, and bought some organic fruits. Then with the same private bus, we headed towards Mannheim to catch our train back to Bremen.
THE END :)
