German Tourism officials have expressed their keenness to enhance their country’s attraction to GCC nationals.

The move follows a recent BBC World Service poll that showed the growing appeal of the country to GCC nationals.

Increasingly strong relations between Germany and the Gulf countries have led to Germany’s rising popularity among GCC nationals, according to the report.

Germany has seen a large increase in the number of Saudi and other GCC visitors over the past several years, as its moderate climate and variety of attractions appeal to a broad range of tastes.

Speaking on Germany’s appeal to Gulf tourists, Antje Roeding, director of marketing and sales, Office Gulf Countries, said: “The German National Tourist Office has accompanied the increase in GCC tourists to Germany over the past few years with a great effort to respond to their needs, and reach out to Gulf nationals in their home countries. We are committed to enhancing Germany’s attraction both to those who have already visited Germany, and to those who are still contemplating this step.

“Germany has much to offer families, couples and young people from the GCC region and will hopefully continue to attract them even during these times of global economic crisis. 2009 is a particularly interesting year to visit Germany since we are celebrating a number of historical occasions. These will be marked by many cultural events all over the country and we hope that visitors from the GCC region will be able to join us in our festivities.”

Of the 13,000 people polled globally, Germany alone was viewed favourably in all 21 countries, with 61 percent of participants having a positive image of Germany. This represents an increase of 5 per cent from the results recorded last year. – TradeArabia News Service