By Muhammad Rafiq
DUBAI: With the GCC billed as one of Germany’s top overseas source markets, the German National Tourist Board is looking to drive awareness of the year-round tourism destination with a roadshow across major cities in the Gulf.
Taking place between October 30 and November 3, the German National Tourist Board and 10 partners will visit Doha, Kuwait City, Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dubai to build relationships and share information and insights with local tourism professionals and media partners.
“Throughout the roadshow, we aim to not only raise awareness of Germany among the local travel trade, but to also diversify its campaign offerings and share knowledge with the market experts,” said Yamina Sofo, director at the German National Tourist Office (GNTO), the regional office of GNTB. “Ongoing campaigns, including Feel Good, German.Local.Culture., and Embrace German Nature will be highlighted, drawing on their specific relevance to local market wants, as well as sharing key messaging from our stakeholders joining us on the trip.”
With the GCC market long known for its high retail spend, Outletcity Metzingen, honoured by ecostra GmbH as Europe’s largest outlet, will share interesting details and insider tips on everything it offers and also explains how to become one of the top 10 tourist destinations worldwide.
Inspire, surprise and create unforgettable moments – This is the motto of the Ingolstadt Village and Wertheim Village, members of the globally represented The Bicester Collection. Like all Villages of the collection, the setting of the Villages, although unique to one another, reflect the zeitgeist and new understanding of modern luxury. The interaction of fashion, art, design, and culture coupled with top-notch service has created an incomparable shopping experience. Each Village is home to 110 boutiques lining open-air, spacious pedestrianized streets, with savings of up to 60% on the former recommended retail price of a unique edit of German and international fashion and lifestyle brands all year round.
Discussing its abundance of designer outlet offerings, McArthurGlen Designer Outlets will shine a light on the encouraging recovery already witnessed by the GCC across its 25 centers, including 3 in Germany. Designer Outlet Berlin, Designer Outlet Neumunster–Hamburg and the Designer Outlet Ochtrup–Munster.
Raising awareness for Germany’s plethora of sustainable tourism offerings, Rail Europe will be available to share info on the largest catalogue of European train operators and the ease of connection throughout the entire country and beyond.
Cologne Tourist Board will be on hand to discuss its position as a leading family travel destination, as well as its medical services, particularly its free-of-charge service to support patients in finding the best health centre in the city for their needs.
“The Cologne Tourist Board appreciates the great work done by the GNTB in the GCC countries and believes in joint efforts promoting both the wonderful destination of Germany, as well as the unique city destination Cologne,” said Gregor Gosciniak, Head of Marketing, Cologne Tourist Board. “We are expecting the number of arrivals and overnights to grow and anticipate more clients from the GCC to come for medical treatments within the next few years.”
Wiesbaden Congress & Marketing GmbH will discuss its ongoing tourism efforts, highlighting the opening of a museum presenting abstract art that is scheduled to open in the heart of Wiesbaden in Spring 2023.
“Visitors from the GCC have always been welcome guests in the Hessian state capital,” said Claudia Meyer, Marketing Manager, Wiesbaden Congress & Marketing GmbH. “The hotel industry, gastronomy, and the local retail trade have adjusted to Arab customers in a professional manner. Thanks to the numerous guests in recent years, pre-pandemic, from this source market, the Wiesbaden offer has expanded. Therefore, the guests from the Gulf region are extremely important for the tourism infrastructure in Wiesbaden.”
Hommage Luxury Hotels Collection, known for the highest service quality, will share insights on its individual five-star hotels, spread throughout Germany and Austria, while Steigenberger Parkhotel Düsseldorf, a Steigenberger icon, will present its luxurious transformation of guestrooms and restaurants.
Hotel Bayerischer Hof aims to raise the profile of its stunning hotel located in the centre of the Munich old town, and its amenities, while House of 1,000 Clocks will share information on its authentic and professional Cuckoo Clocks retail experience, which has been family-run for six generations and will share many impressions of Triberg, located in the Black Forest, with natural highlights such as Germany’s highest waterfalls.
