The German National Tourist Office (GNTO) said it had received an overwhelming response from visitors at its stand during the recently-concluded Arabian Travel Market (ATM) in Dubai, UAE.

The GNTO was out in force at the expo with 21 of its partners including the premium ones “Dusseldorf Tourist Board, OutletCity Metzingen and State Tourist board Southwest Germany” and others from the hospitality, travel, healthcare, transportation, and holiday sectors.

“We are happy to be part of this year’s ATM, the event has become an important platform for the world of tourism to meet, it gave us a great opportunity to promote Germany as the world’s highly recommended destination for family vacation, luxurious shopping, and medical tourism in this region,” remarked Ahlam Khafagy, the communication manager at the GNTO.

"During the ATM event it became clear that Germany is one of the top preferred destinations for GCC taking into consideration the amount of interested visitors to the Germany booth. The booth has witnessed a remarkable attention from visitors, professionals and decision makers from the tourism industry," he stated.

In 2016, more than two million overnight stays were counted from the Gulf states in Germany for the third time in a row.

Nicole Zaspel, the manager for marketing and sales at GNTO, said: "Germany is happy to welcome these increasing numbers of Arab tourists, and as per the feedback received from the booth, Germany was an exceptional destination for Gulf tourists where they would consider visiting again because there is still much to see and explore when it comes to the nature and history."

Germany, he stated, is blessed with some of Europe's most high-powered sights.

"There's spectacular scenery - the jagged Alps, flower-filled meadows, rolling hills of forests and farms, and mighty rivers - dotted all over with castles and architectures of every variety. This is why it has a large share of the travel market and is generating growing demand in the leisure sector," he added.
 
According to data from the Federal Statistical Office, 80.8 million overnight stays of international guests were recorded in Germany's accommodation companies with at least 10 beds - one per cent more than in the same period of the previous year.

These numbers of incoming tourism has closed 2016 for Germany with the seventh record result in a row worldwide, it added.-TradeArabia News Service