German National Tourist Office (GNTO) and Lufthansa Airlines have jointly launched a competition for the travel trade across the Eastern Province in the Kingdom aimed at increasing the volume of passengers to Germany. The contest which started on Monday, will end on Oct. 31, 2008 with a winning travel agent selling the highest number of trips to Germany. Additionally, the contest will also culminate with the handing down of the Best-selling Office Award to the travel agency that sells most flights to Germany. In recent years Germany has emerged as a major tourist destination registering a discernible increase in the number of visitors, business and tourists alike, to Germany from Saudi Arabia. These travelers relish what Germany has to offer, whether it's state-of-the-art luxurious spas, wellness centers, nature and theme parks to merry festivals, sight-seeing trips, shopping excursions, fascinating art and sport activities like skiing, hiking and canoeing. Antje Roeding, director Gulf countries of the German National Tourist Office (GNTO), said: “We have observed a marked increase in the number of visitors from the Gulf Countries to Germany.” “Between the period of 1998 and 2007, the number of overnight stays in Germany grew by almost 134 percent, which amounts to an annual rise of 11.4 percent. In 2007 alone, the number of overnight stays increased to a figure of 724,721. Over the years, many business partnerships were forged resulting in more frequent trips by GCC nationals to spend their vacations in Germany,” he added. Lufthansa German Airlines together with Swiss International Airlines are the only European carriers which jointly connect all major gateways in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam as well as the Kingdom of Bahrain with their hubs in Frankfurt and Zurich with 21 frequencies per week. All flights operate with a three-class onboard service. With its First and Business Class, Lufthansa offers definitive travel catering to accommodate the needs of premium passengers. In Business Class, passengers can conveniently relax in comfortable sleeper seats, indulge in menus designed by renowned chefs and choose from a wide array of in-flight entertainment. Schaher Murad, regional manager for Lufthansa in East Province and Bahrain, said: “Germany is one of the top European destinations for visitors from this region and this competition will generate a further boost in passenger volumes to Germany. Business and leisure travelers can take advantage of our wide and diverse network of routes from Saudi Arabia and Bahrain to several cities within Germany.” __
