Berlin bound

Last year’s FIFA World Cup proved a tremendous success for the German tourism industry, generating an additional 4.7 million overnight stays, compared to 2005 and The German National Tourist Office (GNTO) reported a 10% increase in visitors to Germany.

It claims the World Cup had a knock on effect; after the event ended, it wasn’t long before some of the people who travelled to Germany to watch football matches returned with their families for a holiday or on business trips to see more of the country.

In Berlin, visitor arrival figures surged 9.5% in 2006 and more than seven million national and international hotel guests generated nearly 16 million bed nights.

“The international portion of the total during the year of the FIFA World Cup increased for the first time to 37.2%,” explains Peter Nerger, CEO and president of Berlin Tourismus Marketing GmbH (BTM), the company responsible for promoting Berlin as a tourist destination.

“This development clearly demonstrates the great popularity of the destination in international markets.”

BTM works closely with the travel trade to boost tourism to the capital and its web site,
www.visitberlin.de

, is packed with useful information for travel agents.

In addition, a BTM sales manual helps agents package and arrange trips to Berlin.

“Berlin has become increasingly popular with travellers from the Middle East in the past years, as it offers a wide range of cultural and tourist attractions and probably the best hotel industry in the major European cities, with more than 22 five-star properties at a very high service level,” says Christian Tänzler, media relations manager, BTM.

He says some 2.3 million of Berlin’s hotel guests in 2006 were international visitors, but there are no figures determining how many originated from the Middle East, mainly because there are few direct flights from the region to Berlin, with the exception of Qatar Airways’ direct Doha-Berlin service.

However, Tänzler does note that visitors from the GCC accounted for 41,000 overnight stays in 2006, up 10.8% on the previous year.

“Besides the demand for health services, visitors from the Arab market enjoy the unique museum landscape, the many shopping districts with brand names and also very popular new Berlin brands, including the largest department store on the European continent, the KaDeWe which celebrates its 100th birthday this year.

“Attractive also are very modern showrooms from automobile companies like Mercedes Benz and BMW and the many beautiful golf courses surrounding Berlin.”

GNTO’s manager GCC states, Heike Murad, says Berlin is one of the German cities most favoured by GCC leisure visitors.

“I know the habit of the Middle East traveller is to go on direct flights, but the travel habits have changed a lot in the last [few] years and they also go around – they make round trips or they shuttle between different cities,” she says.

Visitors can easily fly to Frankfurt, Hamburg or Munich from the Middle East and then continue on to Berlin by train, road or air.

But Tänzler believes “people want to fly point to point without wasting time with transfers at large hub airports”.

“A direct flight would boost tourism and business in a short period of time,” he says.

Getting there

Qatar Airways flies directly from Doha to Berlin four times weekly, but according to Ray D’Souza, operations manager, Qatar Airways Holidays, the city is yet to capture the Middle East’s leisure market.

“Berlin hasn’t quite picked up as a destination, quite unlike many of the other European cities, like Paris or Rome, but we continue to service Berlin because it has got a lot of history and commercial importance,” he explains.

“It’s more one part of a multi-city holiday. People tend to take 10/15 days’ leave in summer and spread it over four cities, taking in the history and lifestyle as they go along.”

But if the GNTO was able to raise more awareness of the destination in Doha, it could become more popular, he adds.

German national carrier Lufthansa is eager to promote Berlin to the Middle Eastern market, and does not consider the absence of direct flights an obstacle, thanks to its network of domestic flights from Frankfurt and Munich to the nation’s capital.

The carrier recently revealed plans to launch a dedicated inbound holidays company for the UAE market, featuring itineraries to four of five destinations within Germany, including Berlin.

“We will be cooperating with a couple of high-end hotels in Berlin, [including] the Adlon Kempinski,” explains Uwe Wreidt, general manager, passenger sales UAE & director Gulf and Pakistan, Lufthansa.

Although no official announcement has been made as to the launch date of the new company, which will be called Holiday Europe, it is likely to be up-and-running in the first half of the year, he adds.

Wreidt highlights Berlin’s eclectic mixture of fashion, culture, restaurants, cinema and theatre, as draw cards for visitors.

“What makes Berlin so special is that after WWII and in 1962 when the wall was built up and West Berlin was separated from Eastern Berlin, West Berlin was like an island in East Germany. This island created a cultural of its own,” he says.

When the wall came down in 1989, the Eastern part of the city underwent a complete renovation, and the part of Berlin that was previously in ruin became a bustling new district that is now considered to be one of the trendiest parts of Berlin.

“You cannot stay in the hotels. The city creates an atmosphere that makes you want to experience it,” Wreidt emphasises.

The combination of the old and new eras has created a city where the modern meets the traditional on nearly every street. Districts like Bebelplatz for example now contain an intriguing mixture of modern jazz pubs and old-fashioned literature cafes, where new metallic buildings stand next to original architecture.

History in the making

Berlin is nine times bigger than Paris and is steeped in history. As the centre of the German Empire in the Second World War, the city is now littered with museums and art exhibitions recounting the dark days of 1939-1945. Rather than sweep it under the carpet, monuments and artistic displays are a constant reminder of the nation’s past.

The Brandenburg Gate is probably the most famous landmark in the city; the gigantic gateway that once joined East and West Berlin before the Berlin Wall was torn down.

The gate itself has now been restored and brought back to life as a key tourist attraction, and the area around it that used to be little more than empty lots is home to some of Berlin’s most prestigious properties, including the Kempinski Adlon Hotel.

According to sales director, Anne Martinussen, around 2% of the hotel’s guests come from the Middle East.

“The Middle East business mostly originates from official state visits and not from leisure or corporate clients,” she explains.

“Cities such as Hamburg and Munich have a great advantage over Berlin as they not only attend the Arabian Travel Market, but also offer their own tourism representative in Dubai, ensuring day-to-day promotion and knowledge of their cities amongst the locals.

“To our knowledge, The GNTO only has one person employed in Dubai to represent the whole of our country which is definitely not enough to ensure a substantial increase of tourists to Berlin.”

The hotel offers a full complement of services for the Arabic guest, including Arabic speaking staff, Arabic newspapers and television channels, and the provision of prayers mats and Korans upon request.

The property is close to the Friedrichstrasse, Berlin’s main shopping district, and Charité Medical Centre, making the hotel an ideal base for medical tourists planning a long stay.

Not far away, in the fashionable Bebelplatz district, the recently opened Rocco Forte Hotel de Rome now occupies what used to be the HQ of the Dresdner Bank.

The luxury property was reopened in October 2006, with a mixture of 72 classic rooms, 29 deluxe rooms, 32 junior suites, nine executive suites, three deluxe suites and a 105m² presidential suite.

As well the luxury hotels and cultural attractions, Berlin is a key European city for the meetings industry. While the evening streets are filled with Berlin’s colourful inhabitants, during working hours the city beats to the drum of big business, nowhere more so than at Messe Berlin, the gigantic exhibitions centre in the west of the city, and the adjoining Internationales Congress Centrum.

The imposing facility hosts a variety of major international events throughout the year, including the travel and tourism industry’s biggest annual trade show, ITB Berlin.