SCENIC: Kurhaus Baden-Baden with an enchanting view of the Kurpark Garden. Right: ADDRESS: Angelika Renate Storz-Chakarji, German ambassador to Qatar, addressing the audience at the event.
By Anand Holla
Spoilt for choice is a cliché that gets thrown about for even the most lukewarm experiences and events these days. For those interested in truly fathoming the weight of those words, a stroll through German Tourism’s popular annual roadshow Dallal fi Almania (Feel Good in Germany) would have sufficed.
Of a nation boasting some of the world’s most awe-inspiring scenery and a seemingly endless supply of enchanting castles, romantic palaces, beach resorts, art museums, theatre, music, theme parks, wildlife, cross-country driving, nature walks, cycling and shopping opportunities, the German National Tourist Office’s (GNTO) recently unveiled show at Sheraton Doha, was certainly expected to present plenty on the platter for travellers of all kinds.
Yet, the sheer quality of the range of travel destinations across Germany would compel the wanderlust-stricken to extend their two-week-trip to at least a month-long one.
The recurring annual event that promotes Germany as a tourism destination in the GCC sees GNTO and its 18 partners, like those from various reputed airlines, tourism firms, hotels, travel and health care organisations, and marketing firms, organise this event in GCC countries such as Kuwait, UAE (Abu Dhabi, Dubai) and Qatar.
While representatives of a host of travel agents and tourism boards in these nations gathered to update themselves with the latest in German tourism industry, a steady stream of Qatari travellers could be seen enquiring at the various stalls — representing various tourism hubs of Germany, apart from the usual hits such as Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt and Hamburg.
Maria Amaral, Director of the Marketing and Sales Office of the GNTO in the Gulf Region, told Community, “Statistical data reveal that overnight stays by travellers from the GCC between January and November 2014 totalled 1,755,725. That’s an impressive increase of 20.6 per cent compared with the same period of the previous years, and makes the GCC Germany’s third-largest non-European tourism source market.”
In fact, the GCC traveller demographic has been on the upswing for the past five years, according to the GNTO. “When I speak to locals in Qatar, Kuwait or UAE, I know for certain that it’s a destination they know very well,” Amaral explains, “They have been travelling there for many years. They feel comfortable there, as it’s easy to travel in Germany and it’s very safe. Not only do you get good hotels at affordable prices, it also offers an amazing shopping experience and a lot of medical tourism.”
A lot of Arabs fly to Germany for diagnosis or treatment of various diseases, Amaral points out. “Most of these hospitals and clinics are prepared to receive the Arab guests, as they have an Arabic-speaking staff, Halal food options, and are able to accommodate families since Arabs often may be travelling with their families,” she says.
“After Ramadan, in the summer holidays, for instance, they travel with families, and they feel comfortable to rent a car and drive around. We have noticed that they return every year,” Amaral adds.
Backed by a stellar transport system and a pleasant climate, Germany sure is on the top of any traveller’s wish-list — and even more so, for Qataris and other Arabs.
Angelika Renate Storz-Chakarji, German ambassador to Qatar, said, “Qataris love Germany, and love travelling to Germany. I was surprised to know that a lot of Qataris speak German.”
Despite the economic downturn in Europe, the contribution of the tourism sector to its economy surpasses even its food, automotive and chemical industries, statistics show. “More than 9 per cent of the European workforce is employed in the tourism sector, mostly in small and medium-sized enterprises,” Storz-Chakarji says.
Tourism, in fact, accounts for 4.5 per cent of Germany GDP. “Germany has established itself as the second-most popular destination in Europe and it is among the top 10 worldwide destinations for tourism and culture. The fact that more than 30 per cent of Germans spend their holidays in their own country speaks for itself,” she adds.
It’s tough to not be swayed by the winsome features of each of the booths at the event. Take Cologne, for instance. This city on the Rhine, located in the heart of Europe, boasts of a rich 2,000 year history as a trading centre and a place of pilgrimage, as evidenced by a dozen Romanesque churches, among a sea of touristic delights.
Gregor Gosciniak, Head of Marketing, Cologne Tourist Board, says, “Besides the beautiful Cologne Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is also Germany’s most visited tourist attraction with an annual footfall of 6.5 million, there are many more highlights for the Arabian market.”
The Chocolate museum, Gosciniak says, takes one through the making and history of the chocolate. “The highlight is certainly the Cologne chocolate fountain — a huge six-metre-high, four-metre-wide chocolate fountain, where you can eat fluid chocolate all day,” he says.
“For men, right next door, there’s Germany’s only Sports and Olympics museum, where you could see Michael Schumacher’s racing car or play soccer on a rooftop field. And at the football lounge, you can watch all the best football goals in history,” Gosciniak continues.
“You can also visit the flagship store of the famous Eau de Cologne, originally from our city, housed in a beautiful building in downtown Cologne. Families can book seminars and make cologne with their hands, and take it back as souvenir,” he says, “We are certainly the economic powerhouse in Europe but Germany has so much more to offer in tourism.”
Facing Cologne’s Gothic Cathedral is the only, five-star luxury hotel in town, the more than 150-year-old Excelsior Hotel Ernst. Jan Meyers, Assistant Director of Sales at the hotel, says, “From offering halal food to having an Arabic-speaking concierge or offering a lot of connecting rooms for families, we try to cater to the Middle Eastern market as best as we can.”
The ultra-sophisticated city of Wiesbaden is one of Europe’s oldest spa towns and its name translates to “meadow baths.” Like the Romans in their time, visitors today, too, are enthralled by the healing effects of the 26 hot springs of Weisbaden. For years, it has been known as a recognised centre for the treatment of rheumatic and orthopaedic disorders.
Claudia Meyer, Marketing Manager, Weisbaden, says, “Take a bath in it if you have bone disorders, drink it and it heals your insides. These springs are truly a gift of Mother Nature.”
At the foothills of the Black Forest in Southern Germany, is the 2,000-year-old elegant spa city Baden-Baden, which is famed for its pristine atmosphere and a lifestyle to pamper you silly. “Baden-Baden is known not only for its healing thermal spa water, but also for its innovative, top-quality medical wellness,” says Anne-Greth Paulus, Head of International Sales and Marketing, Baden-Baden, “Moreover, many exquisite spa-hotels such as the Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa pamper you with their unique wellness and various day spa treatments.”
In case you want to return to the city buzz in style, you can head to Stuttgart where the stunning Mercedes-Benz and Porsche museums stand side by side. At the Mercedes-Benz Museum, for instance, visitors are carried by lift to a height of 34 metres above the ground and transported back in time to 1886 — the birth year of the legend that surrounds the pioneering invention of Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz: The automobile.
“One Legend room follows the other in a chronological tour that descends through seven floors and through more than 125 years of automotive history,” says a note on the museum. Nicole-Joy Henzler, Head of Sales, Stuttgart Tourism, points out, “The museums are not just for car lovers but for everyone to experience the influence and impact these two brands have had on world history.”
And to top it all off, Stefan Kopp, who represents Fraport AG Frankfurt Airport Services Worldwide, or Fraport, recommends starting off your Germany trip by flying to the superbly connected Frankfurt airport.
“It’s the easiest way to truly discover Germany,” Kopp says, “That’s because if you want to do a romantic River Rhine cruise, it’s just 30 minutes away from the airport. Only 50 minutes away is Cologne and the Frankfurt airport has its own train station where more than 400 trains run every day. And of course, there are the finest of hotels near the airport.”
Once you land at the airport, you can download the official app which will show you around the place, says Kopp.
“We also have a VIP service that guarantees to spoil you to bits. From offering luxury car pickup right at the aircraft, to having you relax at the lounge or a private room with a personal assistant in tow, from having the immigration and custom officials come to you to complete all paper work, to offering a superb variety of food or drinks before letting you have a shower and a luxury limousine ride to wherever you wish, this service will surely take good care of you,” he says.
