DESTINATION GERMANY
boostinG the excellence of GermAn medicAl tourism Across the Gcc reGion
B
esides being internationally renowned for the multitude of vibrant towns and cities and the extremely diversified tourist offer, Germany has
also constantly grown over the years as synonym of reliable and high-quality services for international travellers seeking medical treatments abroad. Featuring one of the leading and
most innovative medical systems in the world, internationally competitive prices, as well as a highly developed network of research, industry and clinical treatments, health tourism has established itself as one of the leading segments of the travel industry in Germany. In particular, it fully affirmed as top health destination from the Arabian Gulf, where modern lifestyle and demographic changes resulted in growing interest in health, prevention and wellbeing and became key travel motives for many. According to the German Federal Statistical Office, in 2009 around 71,000 international patients from 173 countries underwent inpatient treatments in German hospitals, with the Arabian Gulf region stably ranking among the top source markets for this tourist trend. The UAE in particular placed itself at the forefront, with almost the 69% of the registered international patients coming from this country, according to data provided by hospitals. As the health mega trend acquired
such a prominent relevance for the German tourism industry, increased efforts are being accomplished by the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) to boost the positive image of Germany as important and attractive destination for wellness, health and medical tourism, and at the same time, to attract a greater number of health-conscious travellers. Studies carried out by the GNTB show that even today 15% of all foreign visitors to Germany arrive with the specific intention of doing something for their health or physical fitness. Therefore, in response to the
popularity of this trend in the tourism sector, the GNTB dedicated one of its 2011 key marketing themes to health and wellness travel in Germany, with the
Arabian Gulf being one of the focuses of this campaign. The spotlight fell on renowned clinics and the wide range of treatments they offer in the various specialist areas. Yet, another segment of the campaign was directed to visitors with an interest in wellbeing and it dedicated particular attention to top-end wellness and spa hotels as well as to the 350 quality-certified spas and health resorts. When more specifically addressing the GCC region, the German National Tourist Office (GNTO), the local affiliate of the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) in Dubai, works to strengthen Germany’s position in the Arabian Gulf as a leading destination for international patients. It also promotes Germany as a centre for high- quality and expert services in the areas of wellness, health and medical travel. GNTO has embarked on a strategy of engaging the GCC travel industry directly in the region through various activities aimed not only at directly attracting tourists, but also to draw the attention of local media representatives and further intensify the collaboration with the travel trade. At the heart of these activities, there
is the participation to travel exhibitions, which continue to represent the most important gatherings for the travel industry and are able to attract at the same time trade visitors, key market players, media and consumers. Therefore, continuous efforts to boost the positive image of Germany as an attractive destination for wellness, health and medical tourism have been staged at the most important trade fairs and workshops worldwide.
In order to ensure the utmost service to its GCC visitors, the GNTB also produced specialised informative material in Arabic. This especially involved the realisation in the Arabic version of a print brochure entitled ‘Medical tourism – You’ll be well looked after in Germany’ which provides information for international patients as well as traditional touristic highlights. The brochure’s focus falls on renowned clinics and the wide range of treatments they offer in the various specialist areas of particular interest for patients coming from the Arabian Gulf.
A final important remark in the field
of medical tourism promotion concerns GNTB’s central communication platform, the portal
www.germany.travel, which was relaunched mid-2011 with the option of selecting the Arabic language, among many others. A section of this new website is dedicated to medical tourism and provides under the category ‘Specials’ extensive information on Germany’s highly regarded clinics and doctors with particular expertise in dealing with patients from abroad.
About the GermAn nAtionAl tourist boArd (Gntb): The German National Tourist Board (GNTB), based in Frankfurt-Germany, works on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Economy and Technology and is the national organisation responsible for promoting Germany as a travel destination around the world through a broad range of marketing services. It has 29 permanent foreign offices. The GNTB pursues two main objectives: to enhance the positive image of German towns, cities & regions and to promote travel to and within Germany. From its office in Dubai, the German
National Tourist Office (GNTO), the local affiliate of GNTB for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, promotes through various activities the travel destination Germany within the region. In 2010 around 970,000 overnight stays were generated by GCC nationals in Germany, and the Gulf countries are among the Top 20 source markets of the country. For 2020, the GNTB forecasts 2.3 millions overnight stays of GCC nationals in Germany. ■
AH
more info: For further information on the travel destination Germany and the German National Tourist Board, please visit:
www.germany.travel . It is also possible to order the medical brochure ‘Medical tourism – you’ll be well looked after in Germany’ in English or Arabic by contacting the following email address:
gnto.team@dlh.de
ARAB HEALTH SERVICES DIRECTORY 2012 11
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