THE German National Tourist Board’s (GNTB) current marketing campaign entitled Affordable Hospitality is making its mark in the Middle East, according to Antje Roeding, director of marketing and sales office for Gulf countries for the Dubai based German National Tourist Office.
"Germany continues to be an attractive destination for travellers from all over the world, and with our new initiative ‘Affordable Hospitality’ we offer our guests world class holidays at very attractive rates. Our country’s key offer is variety," she said. The range of accommodation, from five-star hotels to holiday apartments, was a prime factor.
The number of GCC travellers to Germany has not been affected severely by the global economic crisis, according to recent data released by the German Federal Statistical Office. In terms of cumulative numbers for the period between January and April 2009, there was an increase of 9.6 per cent of tourists from the GCC compared to the same period in 2008.
A recent survey of European hotel prices, conducted by IHA and STR Global, revealed that hotels in major German cities on average offer rooms between 30 per cent and 70 per cent below the level prevalent in places like Geneva, Paris, London or Moscow for comparable properties.