A delegation of Hilton general managers from Austria and Germany, alongside Jochem-Jan Sleiffer, vice president of Northern, Central & Eastern Europe, arrived in the Middle East this week, to meet with a number of Hilton’s high profile travel clients in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

The Hilton sales mission ties in with growing interest among operators eager to enhance their partnerships with Hilton’s 20 hotels in Germany and four hotels in Austria, as a means to facilitate growing demand for travel to the European countries.

According to the Austrian National Tourist office, guests from UAE have increased by 130 per cent in the last four years, while the UAE is the biggest source of tourists from the Gulf region to Germany, accounting for 45 per cent of overnight visitors last year.

Sleiffer said: “The UAE is a highly sought-after source market for hoteliers globally and remains a top market for Hilton’s German and Austrian hotels. Outbound travellers from the UAE increased the number of room nights by a remarkable 60 per cent at Hilton hotels in Austria, between 2014 and 2015, and by 11 per cent in Germany.

“Proven and growing demand for travel from the UAE to Germany and Austria is underpinned by improving travel accessibility and easing visa regulations – such as the recent move to offer Emirati citizens visa-free access to Schengen states for up to 90 days, and Emirates airlines launch of the A380 aircraft on its Dubai-Vienna route – with these measures impacting significantly on Emirati traveller choices.”

Across Hilton’s portfolio in Germany and Austria, special provisions are made to give an extra special welcome to Arab travellers, including extended room service hours, shisha lounges and outdoor areas, Arabic language television channels, as well as Arabic speaking team members, sourced from Hilton hotels across the Middle East, to meet and greet and connecting suites and larger room configurations for family stays.  - TradeArabia News Service