With 1,297,256 room nights, which is 15 pc increase over the year-ago period, Germany has seen GCC climb to one of the top 3 inbound markets behind US and China in 2023, its official tourism board announced during the opening day of the ongoing ATM 2024.

The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) says that travellers from the Gulf Cooperation Council countries accounted almost 1.3 million room nights in Germany during 2023, a 15 pc increase over the 1.13 million overnight stays recorded in 2022.

This was announced by Yamina Sofo, Director at the German National Tourist GCC Office (GNTO GCC), German National Tourist Board (GNTB) in a press conference held at the ongoing Arabian Travel Market in Dubai.

“During 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,” said Sofo.

“We are delighted to witness our destination maintaining its position as a top choice for travellers from this region. Germany’s rich culture, rural customs, natural beauty, sustainability efforts, accessibility, and inclusiveness all play significant roles in its popularity. Additionally, our warm German hospitality, traditional cuisine, and exclusive retail opportunities further enhance the visitor experience,” Sofo told the media.

“Being the largest travel and tourism event in the region, participating in ATM is an integral part of our marketing strategy and we are confident of a significant increase in overnight stays, which would exceed our pre pandemic figure of 1,604,753 overnight stays,” she added.

According to Sofo, the GCC region is currently ranked 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 pc, compared with the same period in 2021.

She said that the GCC guests also generated EUR 2.1 billion in 2022, a 110 pc increase over the previous year, averaging EUR 4,443 per trip/per 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,” Sofo said.

It adds that increased flight availability will support those ambitions, with more than 207 direct weekly flights between the GCC and Germany, compared with 201 in 2022. At present, there is direct flight accessibility from the GCC to five German international airports, namely Munich, Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, Berlin and Hamburg.

The GNTB official said that 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 the July 1, as well as new routes launching in November operated by Eurowings from Jeddah to Cologne and Berlin. Additionally, Flynas will be offering flights from Jeddah to Berlin starting from 4th September.

In addition to connectivity, Sofo said the GNTB has a marketing strategy that it believes will achieve those numbers, both in the short term and the longer term. Under the slogan, ‘Germany, simply inspiring’.

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, she said, adding that 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 is focusing on the sustainability-related aspects of health tourism, including the preservation of traditional treatment methods, location-specific treatments and remedies as drivers of regional prosperity and examples of sustainable energy management.

The Euro 2024 football tournament which takes place in Germany between June 14 and July 14 will also see major visitation, Sofo said.

“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,” said Sofo.