Arrivals from the Gulf to Hamburg are up following the launch of a new New York connection, according to Gisele Mollat of the Hamburg Tourist Board (HTB).
Total visitor numbers from the GCC were up 61.6 per cent in January and February alone, she told TTN, largely because of increased flights to the city. This builds on a trend for 2006, where total visitor numbers from the GCC ion 2006 were up 20.3 per cent. In December 2006 alone, the number of arrivals from the Arab Gulf quadrupled on the back of the new service.
Hamburg recorded an 11.5 per cent increase in overnight stays, breaking through the seven-million mark. The city proved particularly popular with international visitors, with a 19.1 per cent increase exceeding all expectations.
Dietrich von Albedyll, managing director of HTB, said, “Tourism is growing faster in Hamburg than in any other German state, with a 50.4 per cent growth since 2001. That equates to an additional 2.4 million overnight stays and puts Hamburg among the top three German destinations.” Tourists bring in 5.85 billion euros ($7.85 billion) a year.
TOURING HAMBURG
TTN rounds up a few tours to book your clients on:
Segway Citytour Hamburg
One of the most exciting tours through Hamburg, Mindways Mobility’s tour is three hours of sightseeing on a Segway or computer-balanced scooter. Riding a Segway is learned in five minutes! Priced at 58 euros ($77.8), the minimum age is 16.
info@segway-citytour.de
Festival of Light
The ideal way to entertain the whole family with the Hummelbahn and a cruise on the magnificent Outer Alster lake, complete with canapés and a drink, followed by a nighttime tour of the city’s brightly illuminated historic buildings. In English with Viator, at $45 for addults, $13 for children.
www.affiliate.viator.com
Hamburg Riverside Tour
Also by Viator, this tour follows the river Elbe along the noble Elbchaussee to the Blankeneser ‘Treppenviertel’, with its labyrinth of stairs and a tremendous view of the ships and the river. Continue by ferry to the ‘Altes Land’, Europe’s largest fruit farmland, and enjoy the view from the Kohlbrandt Bridge on the way back to the city. One and a half hours’ long, it runs every Saturday and Sunday in English, at about $25 for adults and $10 for children.
www.affiliate.viator.com