Books most popular product for new German cultural voucher program

In Germany, the country’s new KulturPass for 18-year-olds has generated €3.2 million (A$5.4m) in revenue for cultural products events and services, with sales of book accounting for most unit sales, reports Publishing Perspectives.

The KulturPass went live on 14 June, offering €200 (A$340) to 18-year-olds who register on the app. According to data from the Ministry of State for Culture and the Media, more than 95,000 books have been purchased, accounting for 48.7% of the total units purchased.

Books were followed by cinema (36% of total) then concerts and theatre (14%) as the most popular cultural products and sectors by unit. By revenue, an estimated €11 million (A$18.6m) has been spent on books via the KulturPass app, according to German book trade publication Börsenblatt.

The trend reflects that seen in Italy’s corresponding culture voucher program, 18App. The Association of Italian Publishers reported Italians were spending 80 percent of their vouchers on books in January and February of 2021.

Category: International news