The German National Tourist Office (GNTO) and partners kicked off their annual road show Monday with a media lunch at Sassafraz in Toronto. The GNTO is celebrating 60 years in Canada. When it first opened, the GNTO was the second European national tourist office in Canada, after France. Its mandate: to support the local travel industry in helping Canadians travel to Germany and to keep Germany top of mind as a travel destination. In 1952, some 9,500 Canadians visited Germany and spent approximately 21,500 nights there, not always in hotels, but also in small pensions or with friends and family. In 2012, close to 295,250 Canadians travelled to Germany, spending just under 623,900 nights there. Pictured with several German partners are Anne Dollendorf (front and centre), director marketing and sales for the GNTO in Canada, and Sophia Schlundt (second from right), sales manager, Canada. The German road show continues this week with events in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. (http://www.germany.travel)