'Magic Cities' lure Gulf nationals

Dubai: Tens of thousands of tourists from the GCC region will travel to Germany this summer, one of the most popular European holiday destinations for Gulf nationals.

Germany is not only the richest and most populous nation in Europe; it also is a growing tourist destination attracting approximately 54.8 million overnight stays annually.

According to Antje Roeding, Director (Gulf Countries) of the German National Tourist Office, "The total number of overnight stays from the Gulf countries in 2007 has increased to 724,721. Since 1998, the number of overnight stays in Germany grew by almost 134 per cent, which amounts to an annual rise of 11.4 per cent.

"Out of the 724,721 overnight stays, 493,000 were in one of the so called 'Magic Cities' - Munich, Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, Berlin, Hamburg, Colo-gne, Stuttgart, Hanover, and Dresden."