Germany is more popular as a travel destination than ever before. The statistics confirm the continual tourism boom. Last year, the number of overnight stays rose by 4% to 477.6 million, according to official statistics. It was the ninth record year in a row.
The number of overnight stays by foreigners increased by 5% to 87.7 million last year. For domestic guests, there was an increase of 4% to 389.9 million. Above all, the country scores points with its great price-performance ratio and its variety of destinations. Travelers can choose from beaches, mountains, cities or rich landscapes – there is something for everyone.
Bavaria the prime example
Bavaria is one of the most popular regions for travelers. With a total of 39 million guests and 99 million overnight stays, the tourism inflow increased by more than 4% last year.
The growth rates are breath-taking, especially in the ten-year comparison. Since 2008, the number of visitors to Bavaria has risen by an impressive 46.7% or just under 12.5 million visitors. Moreover, the sector generates around 600,000 jobs.
However, industry representatives still insist that there is room for improvement. To continue the development, Bavaria wants to invest significantly more government money, for example, in tourism advertising. In addition, around 15 million euros are provided to promote the modernization of small rural inns, as Bavaria’s unique tavern culture is also a magnet for tourism.
Things to improve
For the current year, an increase in overnight stays by 1-1.5% is expected. “The earnings situation in the industry remains tense due to further increases in operating and personnel costs,” complained the president of the German Hotel and Restaurant Association (Dehoga), Guido Zöllick.
The president of the German Tourism Association (BTW), Michael Frenzel, warned that it is up to the politicians to make the industry a bit more “weatherproof” in view of a possible economic slowdown.
Frenzel included bureaucracy reduction and flexibilization of working time laws among other things to be improved. Moreover, according to him, vacation and aviation tax should be eliminated as well, to make an industry with almost 3 million jobs more crisis-proof and help the tourism boom.
