The German National Tourist Office (GNTO) yesterday concluded a week-long roadshow across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), meeting 120 airline and travel-trade partners in Riyadh, Doha, Dubai and Muscat. The delegation promoted Germany’s new “Simply Inspiring” campaign, which targets medical and MICE visitors as well as leisure tourists.
GNTO says GCC arrivals to Germany have rebounded to 92 % of pre-pandemic levels in 2025, with average length of stay exceeding eight nights—three times the overall foreign-visitor average. Key messages included streamlined visa-processing at VFS centres and the launch of Arabic-language appointment portals aimed at cutting no-show rates.
For mobility practitioners, stronger Gulf air connectivity—Qatar Airways has just filed for a third daily Doha–Munich rotation—opens additional routing options for assignees travelling between Asia and Germany via the Middle East hubs, potentially avoiding capacity constraints at Heathrow.
The roadshow also highlighted Germany’s tax-free shopping rules and the forthcoming digital VAT-refund app, slated for Q2 2026, which will allow visitors to reclaim sales tax without paper forms—another plus for business travellers combining meetings with retail spending.
GNTO says GCC arrivals to Germany have rebounded to 92 % of pre-pandemic levels in 2025, with average length of stay exceeding eight nights—three times the overall foreign-visitor average. Key messages included streamlined visa-processing at VFS centres and the launch of Arabic-language appointment portals aimed at cutting no-show rates.
For mobility practitioners, stronger Gulf air connectivity—Qatar Airways has just filed for a third daily Doha–Munich rotation—opens additional routing options for assignees travelling between Asia and Germany via the Middle East hubs, potentially avoiding capacity constraints at Heathrow.
The roadshow also highlighted Germany’s tax-free shopping rules and the forthcoming digital VAT-refund app, slated for Q2 2026, which will allow visitors to reclaim sales tax without paper forms—another plus for business travellers combining meetings with retail spending.
