DUBAI, 9 May 2024: Visitors from the GCC region* spent 1,297,256 room nights in Germany during 2023, a 15% increase over the 1,128,341 overnight stays recorded in 2022, according to the latest data presented by the German National Tourist Board during this week’s Arabian Travel Market.
The announcement was made while addressing Middle East travel professionals during a press conference at the ATM.
German National Tourist GCC Office, an affiliate of the German National Tourist Board (GNTB), director Yamina Sofo commented: “In 2023, we witnessed a considerable increase of 168,915 overnight stays compared with the previous year.
“The increase in overnight stays in 2023 underscores Germany’s enduring appeal among GCC travellers, which is a testament to the continuous efforts of GNTO in its ongoing marketing campaigns across both B2B and B2C channels. We are delighted to witness our destination maintaining its position as a top choice for travellers from this region,” she added.
“As the region’s largest travel and tourism event, participating in ATM is an integral part of our marketing strategy. We are confident of a significant increase in overnight stays, exceeding our pre-pandemic figure of 1,604,753 overnight stays.”
Germany ranks the GCC region in the top three incoming markets, behind the US and China. In 2022, the GCC region was Germany’s top-performing inbound source market in Asia and Australasia, with more than 404,000 arrivals, representing an increase of over 117%, compared with the same period in 2021.
GCC guests also generated EUR2.1 billion in 2022, a 110% increase over the previous year, averaging 4,443 euros per trip/guest.
“These figures underscore Germany’s increasing post-pandemic popularity with GCC visitors and bodes well for 2024. This year, we want to capitalise on Euro 2024 to encourage longer stays and showcase Germany as an all-year-round holiday destination.
Increased flight availability will support those ambitions, with more than 207 direct weekly flights between the GCC and Germany, compared with 201 in 2022.
There are direct flights from the GCC to five German international airports — Munich, Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, Berlin, and Hamburg.
New flights are being added this year, with services from Doha to Hamburg by Qatar Airways and from Manama to Munich by Gulf Air, both opening on 1 July. Eurowings will launch new routes in November from Jeddah to Cologne and Berlin. Additionally, Flynas will offer flights from Jeddah to Berlin starting from 4 September.
In addition to connectivity, GNTB has a marketing strategy that it believes will achieve those numbers in the short and long term. Its slogan is ‘Germany, simply inspiring’.
Germany now boasts 52 World Heritage sites and over 6,000 museums, offering a wealth of interesting places of cultural and historical significance for GCC tourists to visit. This includes Chemnitz, the European Capital of Culture for 2025, located in the country’s Saxony region.
The GNTB’s ‘Simply Feel Good’ – Sustainable Travel in Germany campaign also underscores Germany’s rural natural landscapes and activity holidays, raising awareness of the fragility of ecosystems.
Germany has 20 sustainably certified regions and cities, and in terms of accommodation, it has over 1,540 sustainably certified establishments and 350 spa and health resorts. The GNTB focuses on the sustainability-related aspects of health tourism, including preserving traditional treatment methods, location-specific treatments and remedies as drivers of regional prosperity, and examples of sustainable energy management.
Clearly, the standout sporting event of the year in Europe will be the Euro 2024 football tournament, which will take place in Germany between 14 June and 14 July.
“The GNTB’s strategy is to promote the ten host cities (Berlin, Cologne, Dortmund, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Gelsenkirchen, Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich and Stuttgart) and surrounding areas to encourage tourists to stay longer and explore other regions throughout Germany. This also has the added benefit of reducing the overall carbon footprint per travel day,” added Sofo.
*The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, also known as the Gulf Cooperation Council, is a regional economic union comprising Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. (Wikipedia).
(SOURCE: Arabian Travel Market)
