As the 12 host cities put the finishing touches to their preparation to the FIFA World Cup 2006, they await the descent of an estimated 3-4 million fans marking the culmination of some 6 years of preparation, organisation and investment. Whilst internationally recognised German cities such as Berlin, Munich and Frankfurt are used to coping with large scale international events, others will be looking to capitalise on the spotlight this June. Germany 2006 will see the spotlight fall beyond the most recognised cities and on to smaller and less prominent cities that will be looking to capitalise on the benefits of worldwide exposure and the potential commercial benefits that follow. Gelsenkirchen, in the Ruhr region of central western Germany is one such city. Gelsenkirchen is set to host 5 matches over the course of the month, including one quarter final at the Veltins arena, home of the local side Schalke 04. The city will play host to fans from the Argentina, Mexico, Portugal and the USA amongst others during this time. But a small city with a residential population of 270,000 has had to develop infrastructure to cope with its new found status. Additional accommodation has been added to the city to help with the influx and great efforts have been made to ensure that all fans can be catered for. Those planning on travelling to Gelsenkirchen would be best advised to check the availability of hotel rooms in the area through major hotel resellers for up to date information and advice. Although not a major city, Gelsenkirchen is well served by the regional airport in neighbouring Dusseldorf which offers good domestic flights to and from the other host cities. The city is well linked to by Germanys autobahn system and driving to and from Gelsenkirchen and onwards to other venues is relatively simple. Most of the major car hire firms have a presence either in Gelsenkirchen itself or in the regional airport at Dusseldorf which serves the city. |
