Iran emerging as top tourist destination in Germany | Herald Globe

Iran emerging as top tourist destination in Germany

Herald Globe Friday 14th November, 2008

Travel by Germans to the Islamic Republic of Iran is soaring.

Travel agencies, tour operators, and travel wholesalers are booking Iran for droves of tourists in Germany.

'There has been an enormous increase in the number of German tourists travelling to Iran in 2008, the Managing Director of Dr. Tigges/Gebeco travel agency, Ury Steinway has told the daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper. The stand-off with Iran by Germany and other European nations, together with the U.S. and Britain, has failed to dent tourist growth to the country he said.

Steinway explained German tourists want to see Iran for themselves and are not swayed by media reports.

The Munich-based Studiosus Reisen Travel Agency which is the largest tour operator of culture and nature special interest group tours in Germany, said Iran has become the top destination for German tourists in the Middle East.

Studiosus is in charge of the travel arrangements of over 100,000 tourists every year.

Germans are expected to remain world travel champions in 2008, according to various press reports.

The number of package holiday tours rose 3.5 percent to reach a record level of more than 83 million.

The German Travel Association (DRV) reported earlier that 72 percent of Germans plan to take a trip for at least five days.

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