The tourism sector of the German capital is heading for another record year. The number of guests visiting Berlin in January and February 2016 increased by 6.1 percent to 1.6 million compared to last year’s data.
A recent report by the “Investitionsbank Berlin” revealed that roughly 92,000 more visitors checked in at hotels in Berlin. Over the first two months of this year, the data showed a significant increase of Spanish (+ 45 percent) and British (+ 14 percent) guests visiting Berlin.
The IBB-economists explain the increase of Spanish tourists by the stabilization of Spain’s economic crisis, which gives the people more financial leeway for traveling. Every month, 23,000 Spaniards come to Germany visiting Berlin. In 2013, when it was the peak of the economic crisis, the monthly number of Spanish holidaymakers reached only 17,000.
The situation with Russian visitors, who have always come to Germany in great numbers, is quite different. The weakened Ruble still prevents Russians from international travel and thus there are 22 percent fewer Russian guests visiting Berlin compared to the January and February 2015.
More guests also result in more overnight stays. In the first two months of 2016, there were 3.9 million overnight stays, which is 310,000 more than in the same period last year.
Tourism in Berlin: Top 5 Source Markets (January/February 2016)
UK - 81 200
Italy - 45 468
Spain - 37 211
U.S. - 36 383
The Netherland - 32 497