German National Tourist Office Concludes a Successful Participation at Arabian Travel Market 2015

After receiving enthusiastic responses to Germany's Customs and Traditions offerings

Dubai, 07 May 2015 – German National Tourist office, the local affiliate of the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) in Dubai and its partners, conclude their successful participation at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM), the leading trade exhibition in the region held at the Dubai World Trade Center from May 4th to 7th, 2015. During the exhibition the GNTO has revealed a remarkable growth rate in the number of overnight stays from the GCC region in Germany, as evident by stays reaching 104,966 nights last January, representing a 22% growth year-over-year. This reaffirmed Germany’s growing interest in the GCC market as source of inbound tourism.

Celebrating this successful event, GNTO invited a number of prominent figures in the sector to a high calibre networking event held on May 6 at the Office’s booth at ATM 2015. The event was attended by Germany’s General Consul in Dubai Mr. Stefan Gallon, along with a number of important figures in the travel and tourism industry in the region and worldwide.

Commenting on this occasion, Maria Amaral, Director of the Marketing & Sales Office of the German National Tourist Office (GNTO) in the Gulf region, said: “Once again we proudly witness the remarkable success achieved by Arabian Travel Market, which deservedly occupies the centre stage in the region’s travel and tourism scene. Our presence at ATM is not only a clear indication of the great importance the GCC region plays in our development plans for the tourism sector in Germany, but also comes as a unique opportunity to meet with the industry’s movers and shakers in the region, which was manifested in our networking lunch held in our booth.”

GNTO’s stand at ATM 2015 (at the Dubai Convention Center, Germany Booth, Europe Pavilion, North Hall) attracted remarkable attention from visitors and marker leaders alike, especially with the presence of 22 esteemed partners at the stand, including Frankfurt Tourism& Congress Board and Sixt Rent a Car as premium partners, Düsseldorf Marketing & Tourism, and Düsseldorf Airport as focus partners, as well as a number of other partners from the hospitality, travel, healthcare, transportation, and holiday sectors. The presence of this number of high calibre partners and sponsors is yet another indication of the successful relations that join Germany and the GCC region in the tourism sector, a fact also manifested by statistic data showing 1,862,103 overnight stays in Germany from the GCC in 2014 alone, which represents an impressive increase of 20.6 per cent when compared to 2013.

Supporting these statistics, pavilion visitors during ATM 2015 expressed great interest in visiting Germany, both for work and pleasure, citing the country’s rich offerings and impressive infrastructure as main reasons. True to this statement, the country indeed offer a diverse selection of destinations and facilities that cater to all types of tourism, most notable cultural and entertainment tourism, with 39 UNESCO World Heritage sites, not to mention breath-taking historical architecture and some of the world’s most beautiful natural landscapes.

“We are confident that this year’s participation at ATM 2015 will leave a positive impact on our activities in the region, aiming at attracting even larger numbers of tourists to visit Germany,” Amaral continued. “We are looking forward to seeing the discussions we had with our potential clients turn into solid partnerships that would further enhance the unique relations between Germany and the region.”