Germany welcomes 1.8m GCC visitors in 2018

The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) has set its sight on the GCC tourist market as it gears up for its participation at the annual Arabian Travel Market (ATM), taking place in Dubai later this month.The European nation considers the GCC to be a lucrative market as it welcomed 1.8 million overnight guests from the Gulf in 2018, with numbers expected to climb up to 3.6 million overnight stays by 2030.The GCC market is Germany’s third-largest non-European source market behind China and the US. GCC travellers tend to stay an average of 11 nights and spend on average $5,300 per person per trip, significantly more than other international travellers.Underscoring the relevance of ATM to ‘Destination Germany’, Sigrid de Mazieres, director for the Gulf countries at the German National Tourist Office (GNTO), an affiliate of the German National Tourist Board (GNTB), commented: “ATM presents us with an ideal opportunity to showcase our wide-ranging tourism offering from dynamic cities to breathtaking countryside with fairytale castles, lush forests and mountains. In addition, there are great family attractions, excellent shopping centres and superb sightseeing opportunities – visitors will be fascinated by the incredible diversity that Germany has to offer.”