Germany presents “Dallal fi Almania 2014” tourism road show on the back of record visitor growth from the Arabian Gulf

In response to the 20 percent growth in GCC tourism to Germany

•    More than 1.5 million overnight stays by Gulf travellers mark new all-time record for Germany
•    Road show through Kuwait and UAE presents offering for families and young Arabs 
•    Arabian Gulf now fastest-growing tourism source market for Germany, growing at 20 percent year-on-year
•    Event held under the patronage of the German embassy in the UAE 

Dubai, 02 April 2014 - On the back of record visitor numbers from the Arabian Gulf, the German National Tourist Office (GNTO), the local affiliate of the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) in Dubai, concluded yesterday in the United Arab Emirates its recurring road show 'Dallal fi Almania 2014' ('Feel Good in Germany 2014”). This tour, organized in partnership with Lufthansa German Airlines, focused this year in particular on the tourist offerings for families and young travellers. The road show ended yesterday in Dubai, after stopping in Kuwait City and Abu Dhabi, where the delegation had been welcomed by His Excellency Mr Nikolai von Schoepff, the German ambassador to the UAE.

“Our road show comes at a time of record visitor numbers from the Arabian Gulf to Germany. We’ve seen unabated growth over recent years, and are pleased that the GCC is now Germany’s fourth-largest non-European tourism source market”, said Adnan Ben Abdallah, Marketing & Sales Manager at the German National Tourist Office (GNTO) in the Gulf region. According to figures from the Federal Statistical Office, overnight stays by travellers from the GCC totalled 1,543,717 in 2013. This represents an impressive increase of 20.2 per cent compared with the same period of the previous year. Outside Europe, only China, the United States and Russia accounted for more visitors to Germany in 2013. A further increase of 19.1 per cent was registered in the first month of 2014 as compared to January 2013, with 85.362 overnight stays by GCC travellers to Germany.

“Given the family-oriented demand characterizing this important region, the GNTO and its partners aimed at providing with this year’s workshop theme a more detailed view on the multitude of offers that make Germany the ideal holiday destination for Arab families and young travellers,” Ben Abdallah said. “For spending a holiday together as an Arab family, Germany is the perfect destination. Visitors of all ages will love going to theme parks, water parks, castles, museums and fun pools, getting close to nature in the national parks, and engaging in active pursuits such as cycling, swimming and walking; moreover, young people will find that travelling to Germany is simple, safe and affordable, and there are lots of special offers. Getting around is quick and easy thanks to the excellent roads and the superb infrastructure for coach and train travel,” he explained.

In total, 21 partners, representing the accommodation, attractions, tourism services, transportation and healthcare services sectors in Germany, supported the realisation of the road show “Dallal fi Almania” 2014. In light of the continuously rising popularity of Germany as a tourist destination for families from the GCC countries, the guests from the Arabian Gulf’s travel industry and media enthusiastically took part in the road show. The staged activities involved discussions, exchanges as well as one-to-one workshop sessions, which provided extensive networking opportunities to the participants. This networking and the informative dialogue established between the German and Arab counterparts continue to be the most appreciated aspects of this successful promotional tool created by GNTO.

GNTO has been promoting Germany extensively in the Gulf region over the past years, showcasing the country’s diversified tourist offerings and launching various initiatives for the travel trade and local media representatives. In addition to GNTO’s annual road show ‘Dallal fi Almania’, other measures included study tours, training and presentations for travel trade representatives aimed at informing the regional audience more broadly about what Germany as a travel destination has to offer to its guests. Particularly relevant is the Germany Travel Mart™ (GTM), the largest workshop for incoming tourism to Germany, which in 2014 will be held in the city of Bremen, from 11-13 May. At the occasion of this event, the GNTO in the Gulf region will be joined by hosted buyers and media representatives from different GCC countries.

About the GNTB
The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) has its headquarters in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It works on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi) to represent Germany as a tourist destination and is funded by the Ministry in accordance with a decision taken by the German Bundestag. The GNTB develops and communicates strategies and products to promote Germany's positive image abroad as a tourist destination and to encourage tourists to visit the country. It has 30 agencies around the world to support its activities. More information can be found in our online press centre at www.germany.travel/presse.