Germany’s tourism inflow is expected to grow. This is confirmed by the quarterly data from Germany Travel, the German tourism organization.
From January to March the country has registered 15.3 million foreign overnight stays in accommodation facilities. This represents a double-digit growth compared to 2016 (24%).
“There were difficulties for the inbound tourism in Germany in 2016, mainly due to economic crises. But also due to issues related to Brexit, political instability and populism along with protectionism. Moreover, due to the increased attention of travelers, which will also play a significant role in 2017, affecting the desire to travel to some countries,” explains Petra Hedorfer, president of the GNTB.
“Nevertheless, Germany has an excellent position with respect to the international competitors and continues to emerge as a successful brand. We are seeing obvious signs of growth expressed by different source markets. This applies, for example, to the BRICS countries that consistently generate double-digit increases,” Hedorfer added.
Germany has registered a growth of Russian inbound tourism (21.3%) in the first quarter. Polish inflow, meanwhile, increased by 13.5%. However, there have been negative signs coming from Swiss tourists (-6.6%) and Belgian (-13.7%) and Danish (-5%) visitors.
The development of overseas markets between January and March 2017 has been very different. The US remains on the first place with an increase in overnight stays by 5%. After a halt in 2016 due to the slowdown of its economy which had limited its 1.6% growth, China climbed to 12.4% in the first quarter of this year. It is in the Top 10 of the world’s proven markets. On the other hand, the number of visitors from Arabian Gulf countries has decreased by 23.9%.
“Germany intends to reiterate its strong appeal as a tourist destination. We want to achieve this through an intensive supplemental communication campaign that will further strengthen the brand of the country,” Hedorfer concluded. The tourism board expects positive trend all throughout 2017 with respect to inbound tourism in Germany.