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Hamburg woos Arab tourists

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Standing on the banks of the mighty Elbe River, the historic skyline of Germany’s second largest city Hamburg gives way to the giant ocean liner Queen Elizabeth, looming massively and majestically over the cruise terminal to the right. Along the river to the left a line of cranes unload containers at Europe’s second biggest port, while in the sky beyond, an Emirates jet lifts off, one of the airline’s two daily services to Dubai.

Much like the UAE’s largest city, Hamburg’s is an urban panorama that speaks of globalisation, of trade, of people and, increasingly, tourism. And that includes tourists from the GCC: according to official figures, the number of visitors to Hamburg from this region doubled to 27,000 per year between 2011 and 2013, and they were also the highest per capita spenders.

A proud, wealthy and historic maritime metropolis, Hamburg appears to have many of the credentials that make it an appealing destination for Gulf visitors. Outward-looking and ethnically diverse, it is overwhelmingly welcoming to outsiders. People are friendly, English is widely spoken and it is clean, green and feels safe. There’s world-class luxury shopping and boutiques, and plenty of attractions to keep even the most travel-jaded children interested.

There are cultural and religious affinities too. Roughly two-thirds of the city’s non-German residents are Muslim, who worship at more than 50 mosques and eat at an array of halal restaurants and cafes.

But arguably what makes Hamburg special is that it offers something a little different to other major European destinations. And on its hottest day of the year so far it’s also easy to warm to Hamburg’s lush spaces and cool waterways. It is an undeniably fun, and apparently healthy, city.

City tourism chiefs certainly see the business of health as a major strategic focus. As its southern German rival Munich has done with great success, Hamburg has designs on becoming a respected medical tourism destination. And it has the rich Gulf States firmly in its sights.

“We can’t compare with Munich [on medical tourism],” admits Guido Neumann, an executive at Hamburg Marketing. “But we are building an image of Hamburg revolving around our quality of life and world-renowned hospitals,” he adds.

Arab patients already make up more than 50 per cent of admissions at Hamburg’s largest hospital. Dr Monika Rulle is part of a team looking to develop the GCC market further, and she says specialisation will be the key to doing so.

“We are pushing Hamburg as a single hospital destination, concentrating on highly specialised treatments such as traumatology and diabetes, which are prevalent in the GCC,” she explains. She adds that exchange visits between healthcare representatives from Hamburg, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have helped showcase not only the city’s world-class medical facilities but also enabled its practitioners to gain a better understanding of Arab and Muslim cultural and religious requirements and service expectations.

“A good German doctor may not necessarily be a good doctor for an Arab patient,” Dr Rulle points out. “We require our surgeons to be committed to patients’ special needs and be aware of what service means to them. That could even mean ensuring that the surgeon who appears in the promotional material seen by the patient is the surgeon who looks after the patient.

“In any case it’s about the entire service, from co-ordination of itineraries and visas in the patient’s home country to the treatment in Germany, followed by recuperation. That’s really where we find our unique selling point.

“Our hospitals do understand the service concept. Most of them are less than five years old following an incredible hospital building programme in Hamburg,” she continues.

It is not only world-class healthcare infrastructure that is Hamburg’s major selling point. The city is awash with activities and attractions that offer unique, easily accessible urban experiences for adults and children.

Alster Lake is a huge city centre oasis attracting sailors, kayakers, joggers and picnickers. A boat tour on this 160-hectare stretch of fresh water real estate offers a special vantage point to admire Hamburg’s surrounding architecture, not least the imposing sandstone Rathaus (Town Hall), completed in 1897. In the distance, the stunning new Elbe Philharmonic hall is taking shape, which will add new depth to the city’s thriving artistic and cultural landscape when it opens in January 2017.

The atmospheric Speicherstadt warehouse district, meanwhile, oozes maritime and trading history. The world’s largest integrated warehouses complex was built in 1883, and the large red brick edifices are dissected by tidal canals which can either be explored at close quarters by barge, or on foot.

Hamburg’s tourism chiefs will now hope more Gulf visitors experience the best this historic,  hardworking yet decidedly hip and healthy city of almost two million people has to offer, even if direct air connectivity is limited. Emirates is currently the only Gulf carrier to serve Hamburg, though Turkish Airlines offers convenient and frequent connections between all major Gulf airports and the German city, with a connection in Istanbul.

Hamburg’s international profile will undoubtedly be helped by its candidacy as a host city for the 2024 Olympic Games. The fact that it has been selected as Germany’s candidate suggests a confidence in its infrastructure and broad visitor appeal, even if more work lies ahead.

“We currently have 50,000 [hotel] beds but we need more,” Neumann acknowledges. “The city’s hotel market is dominated by smaller, privately owned hotels, with few of the international hotel chains favoured, for example, by Arab travellers.”

Felix Kessel, sales manager at the Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten – a Fairmont brand hotel - says the historic 156-room property overlooking the Alster Lake just steps from some of the best shopping in northern Germany, is already catering to the Arab market.

“We took the step this summer of seconding a senior chef from the Fairmont Clock Tower Makkah in Saudi Arabia to prepare Middle Eastern halal menus until this October. There’s even shisha on the hotel’s rooftop terrace every Sunday over the summer,” he explains.

It is just another example of the importance Hamburg’s tourism and hospitality industry now places on the Middle East market. With world-class medical facilities and a distinct visitor offering, this is a city with plenty going for it.


By Mark Lazell

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