German National Tourist Board Reveals Huge Growth in GCC Footfall Following Strategic Diversification Approach
Statistics show between January and December 2021
- Germany records a 72.9 percent rise in GCC visitors throughout 2021, with an 82.3 percent increase in overnight stays from Gulf-based travellers
- Local cultures, family-focused leisure, and natural scenery among some of the attractions driving increased footfall during the past 12 months
Dubai, UAE – March 24, 2022 – New figures released by the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) show the country’s strategic approach to attracting overseas travelers and recovering international tourism is proving a success.
Statistics show that between January and December 2021, Germany welcomed 72.9 percent more GCC national arrivals than over the same period the previous year. Elsewhere, overnight stays in Germany by visitors from the GCC region rose 82.3 percent throughout 2021, with December alone recording a 335.2 percent increase when compared to the previous year.
This rise in footfall can be partly attributed to Germany’s ongoing efforts to diversify itineraries through its dissemination of various local cultures, family-focused leisure options, and natural, sustainable scenery, says Yamina Sofo, Director of Sales and Marketing at the Dubai-based German National Tourist Office.
“We continue to urge travellers to explore Germany and its vast and varied attractions this upcoming holiday season,” said Sofo. “We have seen consistent growth in 2021 and hope that will be maintained in 2022, especially in the summertime when we will be launching some seasonal campaigns. Our goal is always to ensure visitors experience Germany and its culture to full capacity – that means urging travellers to take in the natural beauty that exists throughout all states and cities, not only the major metropolitan areas.”
For example, the south-eastern state of Bavaria is home to German capital Munich, but it also includes 45 impressive palaces and castles, as well as 30 court gardens and palace parks with beautifully spacious landscapes and calm lakes. It is perfect for springtime travellers given these rich, cultural landmarks can collectively represent a historic journey through not only Bavaria, but Germany as a whole. Johannisburg Palace in Aschaffenburg, for instance, features royal apartments and a collection of reserved paintings that have been reopened to the public after comprehensive renovation and restoration.
With GCC travelers growing fond of sustainable travel, Germany’s plethora of historical landscapes are not to be missed. The Harz natural reserve found along Lower Saxony extends all the way from Herzberg to Bad Lauterberg and is the only national park to extend over two federal states in Germany. It is ideal for those looking to explore the mountainous slopes of the region and unique flora and fauna.
For full entry requirements to Germany, visitors are advised to refer to www.bmi.bund.de.
About the GNTB
The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) is Germany’s national tourism organisation. It works on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action to represent Germany as a tourist destination and is funded by the Ministry in accordance with a decision taken by the German Bundestag. Working closely with the German travel industry and private-sector partners and trade associations, the GNTB develops strategies and marketing campaigns to promote Germany’s positive image abroad as a tourist destination and to encourage tourists to visit the country.
The GNTB has a three-pronged recovery strategy for overcoming the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic:
Raising awareness of the Destination Germany brand and enhancing the brand profile
Supporting the travel industry, which is dominated by small and medium-sized businesses, through relationship management and the sharing of knowledge
Developing evidence-based action plans on the basis of targeted market research and ongoing analysis of the impact of coronavirus.
During lockdown, the GNTB used countercyclical marketing to maintain dialogue with customers, reflect changing preferences in its communications, and show empathy and provide inspiration.
Focus on sustainability and digitalisation
The GNTB promotes sustainable and forward-looking tourism in line with the objectives of the German government. The focus here is on sustainability and digitalisation.
Sustainability has been a core topic for more than a decade and we engage with it as a strategic issue across all areas of the organisation. Our organisation follows a three-pillar strategy that combines the sharing of knowledge with external partners and a supporting communications strategy with our internal sustainability initiative. The GNTB promotes responsible tourism, a key growth area, by showcasing Germany as a sustainable and inclusive destination in the international travel market. This is particularly important as the pandemic has accelerated the global shift in travellers’ values towards greater social and environmental responsibility.
The GNTB is a pioneer when it comes to using immersive technologies (virtual, augmented and mixed reality), voice assistants and other conversational interfaces, and artificial intelligence applications such as chatbots. To ensure that tourism offerings are visible on AI-based marketing platforms, the GNTB coordinates the German tourism industry’s open-data project, which aims to develop a tourism knowledge graph.
The GNTB has 27 foreign agencies that it manages from its head office in Frankfurt.
Further information can be found in our online press center at www.germany.travel/presse. To download press pictures, please register via: https://dam.germany.travel
Meela Seenarain
Dubai, United Arab Emirates UAE