• With 318% increase of traffic in 2022, the GCC is the second largest overseas source market for inbound tourism to Germany
  • Germany’s cultural offerings continue to entice visitors globally with data-driven campaigns proving particularly successful in attracting Emirati travellers  

Dubai, UAE – The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) has revealed the country recorded a 318 per cent increase on overnight stays from Gulf nationals in the first six months of 2022 when compared to the same period last year*.

GCC nationals were responsible for more than 335,000 stays in H1 2022, compared with a little less than 81,000 in 2021. Such figures confirm the region’s position as representing the biggest growth from an Asian source market.

While tourism numbers may not have returned to pre-pandemic levels yet, the promising growth demonstrates the countries strong recovery as it continues to attract tourists.

“The GCC is the top Asian source market, therefore it’s unsurprising with our recent campaigns that there has been such a strong increase,” said Yamina Sofo, director of sales and marketing at the German National Tourist Office, the regional office of GNTB. “Pandemic recovery has long been top of mind and it’s encouraging to see that both longstanding and first-time travellers are increasingly keen to explore everything that Germany has to offer.”

Overall, the Asian source markets have recorded a 252.3 per cent increase in overnight visitors, a jump from just over 217,000 to just under 800,000 in 6 months. The surging increase demonstrates a dedication and determination to travel internationally, despite some countries continuing to implement travel restrictions during the first half of the year.

To further drive interest in travel to Germany in the remainder of 2022, GNTB has announced the launch of its ‘Feel Good’ campaign, which encompasses a plethora of guiding tips highlighting the country’s eco initiatives that provide conscious tourists with adequate tools and information to reduce their carbon footprint during their travels.

A recent survey by D/A, the Dubai-based consumer insights company, revealed the UAE’s interest in travel has shifted post-pandemic, with relaxation in natural surroundings proving most popular, followed by cultural experiences. The German.Local.Culture campaign, which has been running across the GCC from 10 March, put a focus on driving awareness of the huge number of traditional experiences Germany has to offer, including national crafts and customs, local fare, and the diversity of the history-rich cities, while the Embrace German Nature which ran from 21st April highlighted the plethora of outdoor, nature-focused activities. Aligning with market wants, the campaigns directly attributed to higher footfall from the GCC, said Sofo.

  • More details on Germany’s current ‘Feel Good’ campaign: www.germany.travel/en/feel-good/sustainability.html
  • More details on Germany’s current ‘German.Local.Culture’ campaign: www.germany.travel/en/campaign/german-local-culture/home.html
  • More details on Germany’s ‘Embrace German Nature’ campaign: www.germany.travel/de/trade/marktbearbeitung/globale-kampagnen/embrace-german-nature.html

*2022 inbound figures to Germany from GCC compared to 2019 figures are -36.7 per cent.

-Ends-

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 challenges of the restart after the COVID-19 pandemic:

  • Raising awareness of the Destination Germany brand and enhancing the brand profile with a focus on sustainability and climate change mitigation
  • 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 changing customer demand.

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
www.germany.travel
facebook.com/germanytourism
instagram.com/germanytourism
Instagram.com/germanytourismar
twitter.com/germanytourism

For further information, please contact:
Emma Patterson / Umme Qizra Aleem
germantourism@actionprgroup.com