Passion Play: Tour operators selling group tickets announced

The historic Passion Play that takes place in Oberammergau, Germany every ten years will be releasing tickets later this year and expects to be more popular than ever among groups.

The UK’s travel and tourism sector provides the Passion Play’s second largest source of income. Discussions are already underway amongst the UK’s travel trade for advance bookings, pricing and packages for the 2020 production.  

Beatrix Haun, director of German National Tourist Office UK and Ireland (GNTO) commented: “Germany is regularly voted as the number one cultural destination for Europeans and the Passion Play is one of the most distinctive reasons why.

“It is the largest and most famous performance of its kind and with a history dating back to 1633, it’s firmly on the world’s cultural calendar. People attend the Passion Play from all over the world and reservations are made years in advance.”   

A selection of tour operators selling group tickets:

• Travelsphere

• Leger Holidays

• The Travel Corporation

• The Cultural Travel Company

• Operation Europe 

• Albatross Group

• Select Travel Service

• Fred Holidays

• Tailored Travel

• McCabe Pilgrimages

• Norman Allen Group Travel

• Battered Suitcase

• McCabe Pilgrimages

• Travel Without Borders

• Great Rail Journeys

• Martin Randall Travel

More from representatives of the Passion Play

GLT got the opportunity to meet representatives from the Passion Play including managing directors of the Passionsspiele Oberammergau Vertriebs GmbH & Co. KG,. Gerhard Griebler and Walter Rutz, who commented that groups are one of their largest markets when it comes to selling tickets. 

Plus, Christian Stuckl, director of the Passion Play, spoke at a press lunch which GLT attended and commented: “The play is about making Jesus more understandable to all.”

And Frederik Mayet, who in 2010 played Jesus, commented on playing the role: “I was very focused during the process and was a different person afterwards.”

For more information about group trips to Oberammergau, visit 2020-oberammergau.com. 

Image: Front row: L-R Keith Somers (Select Travel Service), Paul Mallon (Norman Allen Group Travel), Beatrix Haun ( Director GNTB), Walter Rutz (Managing Director of the Passionsspiele Oberammergau Vertriebs GmbH & Co. KG), Frederik Mayet (Press Spokesman of the Passion Play), Christian Stückl (Director of the Passion Play), Andrea Hackmann (Key Account Manager Passionsspiele Oberammergau), Charles Wilson (Sales Manager GNTB)

Back row: L-R Rosemary Nutt (McCabe Travel), Paul Ellerby (McCabe Travel), Tim Greenhalgh (Martin Randall Travel), Michael English (Tailored Travel), Jodie Logsdon (Albatross Group), Chris Plummer (Leger Holidays),  Erik de Vos (The Cultural Travel Company), Lawrence Peachey (Fred Holidays), Savita Seth (Travel without Borders), Stephen Clarke (Great Rail Journeys), Richard Church (Battered Suitcase), Helena Hornsby (Operation Europe), Isabella Stafflinger (Operation Europe).