The Baltic Sea, Allgäu, Lake Constance – German destinations are more popular than ever. Last year a new peak of 447.3 million overnight stays in terms of domestic and foreign guests was reported. The growth of German tourism is expected to continue in 2017.
Germany’s travel industry boom has no end. The number of overnight stays rose to a record value of 44.3 million. This is the sixth year in a row in which a new record had been reached.
According to the Federal Statistics, 80.8 million foreign visitors stayed in Germany overnight. This is one percent more than last year. Germany is even more popular with its own citizens. Domestic tourism data revealed a 3 per cent increase in overnight stays reaching 366.5 million.
The statistics included hostels with at least ten sleeping places, hotels, guest houses, youth hostels and campsites. According to a survey conducted by the Foundation for Future Studies, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Bavaria were the most popular destinations for Germans who organized their own holiday.
One reason for the boom in German tourism are the many crises around the world and increasing safety concerns. For example, Turkey’s tourism suffered from terrorist attacks and political instability after the failed military coup. Compared to 2015, Turkey recorded a collapse of 40 percent in 2016. Germany on the other hand is viewed as a relatively safe destination.
For 2017 the expectations of German tourism experts are cautiously optimistic. On the one hand, there are difficult economic conditions in important markets such as Brazil and Russia, according to a spokeswoman for the German Centre of Tourism. In addition, many Asian tourists would react very sensitively to terrorist threats in Europe.
On the other hand, Germany is expected to welcome lots of new visitors thanks to the so-called Luther year, the world art exhibition Documenta in Kassel or the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg.