Affordable hospitality

As many tourists are looking for cost-efficiency when booking their holidays, the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) has launched a new campaign 'Germany - the travel destination: more value and very affordable!'

The GNTB claims that, compared to other major destinations, Germany is well-known for offering excellent quality at remarkably low prices.

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.

Visitors can make use of a superb infrastructure to combine exciting city trips, outstanding shopping tours, relaxing wellness breaks, thrilling sporting excursions and top-notch food.

The country is certainly proving popular with Gulf visitors, keen to explore somewhere a little different which offers a welcome break from the heat of the Middle Eastern summer.

Rayan Al Qarawi, a banker from Riyadh, travels to Germany every summer. He said: "It's a beautiful country, I feel like I'm at home there. Everything is so easy to organise. Nothing goes wrong.

"Germany is also much more affordable than other European countries, and in comparison you get much better value for money in hotels and restaurants, and when you go out at night. Even when shopping for top brands, the prices are much better than elsewhere in Europe. So you get the best quality of everything for less money."

Kuwaiti Hanan Al Rayis is looking forward to her upcoming trip to Germany, saying: "I love the country because the landscapes are so beautiful and the people are so nice. I feel taken care of and can totally relax. Each time I leave, I am already looking forward to going back.

"The nature is breathtaking, the towns are wonderful, and there's always something new to discover, like the Taunus Mountains outside Frankfurt, or a new museum in Berlin, or a park in Cologne."

Indeed, Germany remains popular among Gulf Arabs for a number of reasons.

Antje Roeding, director of the marketing and sales office Gulf Countries at the German National Tourist Office, said: "Germany continues to be an popular 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. There is a wide range of accommodation, from five-star hotels to holiday apartments.

" Families can enjoy a variety of experiences, from leisure and theme parks to shopping in old markets and modern malls to relaxing spas, and everything in between.

"Within Germany, one of the world's best transport infrastructures makes travelling from one place to another a breeze, be it on a train or driving a car along the speed-limit-less freeways."

The number of GCC travellers to Germany has not been severly affected by the global economic crisis, according to recent data released by the German Federal Statistical Office. In fact, 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.

Germany is located in the centre of Europe and the territory covers 357,021sq/km with elevation ranges from the mountains of the Alps in the south to the North Sea shores in the north-west and the Baltic Sea in the north-east. It has some of Europe's major rivers like the Rhine, Danube and Elbe.

Germany shares borders with more neighbours than any other country on the continent: France, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, and Switzerland.