AS GERMANY continues to see a record number of visitor arrivals from the GCC markets, overnight stays by GCC tourists in Hamburg reached 35,177 between January and December 2010, an increase of 14.8 per cent in comparison to 2009, while the number of GCC tourists who visited Hamburg last year rose to 13,114, another impressive increase of 39.3 per cent from 2009. The numbers reaffirm Hamburg’s attractiveness and place the city at number 11 among the most popular European destinations. GCC nationals, particularly from Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait, choose Hamburg for its family-friendly qualities with the city offering a range of luxurious hotels including the Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten, located in Neuer Jungfernstieg Street, and Sofitel Hamburg Alter Wall in Alter Wall Street which are both very popular. Hamburg is also home to many glamorous shopping arcades, including the Neuer Wall, renowned for its luxurious goods, Europa Passage, Jungfernstieg, Monkeberg Strasse and others. The selection of restaurants offered can accommodate any demand from casual dining to awarded chefs and elegant locations. The city’s abundance of events, cultural and musical facilities such as opera venues, museums and theatres and international festivals attracts a large number of international visitors. Hamburg offers plentiful possibilities for leisure from boating on the picturesque Alster river to In Miniatur Wunderland, the model railways world where computers are in control of hundreds of trains. The surrounding area is also packed with lots to do from Heide Park in Soltau, the biggest theme park in northern Germany, to the Serengeti Park, Germany’s largest safari and wild animal reserve in the south-western area of Hodenhagen.