Germany lifts travel restrictions for GCC travellers

Based on a recommendation of the Council of the European Union, Germany has implemented and updated its entry restrictions

Dubai, UAE – October 13, 2021 – The German Federal Government has included Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates to the German safe list, reducing COVID-19 implemented restrictions for travellers. The news follows the previous inclusions of Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia to the list.  

The reduction in restrictions applies to all travellers twelve years and above regardless of individual vaccination status, with visitors now able to provide a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of travel, a valid vaccination certificate, or proof of recovery.

“The new travel regulations for GCC visitors makes travel to Germany easier and more appealing for travellers,” commented Yamina Sofo, Director of Sales and Marketing of the German National Tourist Office. “The winter season remains an important travel period for Germany, and this news will support regional travellers’ interest in exploring the array of festive seasonal markets, spa and wellness retreats, and outdoor sporting activities across Germany.”

The EU issues and updates its recommendations to member states regularly. The safe list is reviewed and revised every two weeks by the EU authorities and members states.

For full entry requirements to Germany, visitors are advised to refer to www.bmi.bund.de.

ENDS

About the GNTB

The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) is Germany’s national tourism organisation. It works on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) to represent Germany as a tourist destination and is funded by the Ministry in accordance with a decision taken by the German Bundestag. Working closely with the German travel industry and private-sector partners and trade associations, the GNTB develops strategies and marketing campaigns to promote Germany’s positive image abroad as a tourist destination and to encourage tourists to visit the country.

The GNTB has a three-pronged recovery strategy for overcoming the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic:

- Raising awareness of the Destination Germany brand and enhancing the brand profile

- Supporting the travel industry, which is dominated by small and medium-sized businesses, through relationship management and the sharing of knowledge   

- Developing evidence-based action plans on the basis of targeted market research and ongoing analysis of the impact of coronavirus.

During lockdown, GNTB used countercyclical marketing to maintain dialogue with customers, reflect changing preferences in its communications, and show empathy and provide inspiration.

Focus on digitalisation and sustainability

The GNTB promotes forward-looking and sustainable tourism in line with the objectives of the German government. The focus here is on digitalisation and sustainability. The GNTB is a pioneer when it comes to using immersive technologies (virtual, augmented and mixed reality), voice assistants and other conversational interfaces, and artificial intelligence applications such as chatbots. To ensure that tourism offerings are visible on AI-based marketing platforms, the GNTB coordinates the German tourism industry’s open-data project, which aims to develop a tourism knowledge graph.

Sustainability has been a core overarching topic for more than a decade and we engage with it as a strategic issue across all areas of the organisation. Our organisation follows a three-pillar strategy that combines the sharing of knowledge with external partners and a supporting communications strategy with our internal sustainability initiative. The GNTB promotes responsible tourism, a key growth area, by showcasing Germany as a sustainable and inclusive destination in the international travel market. This is particularly important as the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the global shift in travellers’ values towards greater social and environmental responsibility.

The GNTB has 27 foreign agencies that cover more than 40 markets around the world. Its head office in Frankfurt, Germany, is home to strategic departments such as Business Intelligence, Business Development and Brand Communications for Destination Germany.

Further information can be found in our online press center at www.germany.travel/presse. To download press pictures, please register via: https://dam.germany.travel

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For further information, please contact:

Emma Patterson / Yara Hamdan

germantourism@actionprgroup.com, +971 50 8212091