Germany as a tourism destination is becoming more popular.
Speaking
at ITB Berlin 2013, Ernst Burgbacher, the industry secretary and
tourism officer of the Germany government, noted that 407 million
visitors from Germany and abroad had spent overnights here in 2012,
3.6 per cent more than in 2011. At close to 69 million, the number of
overnight visits by foreign tourists had even risen by 8.1 per cent,
he said. Among regions, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg were
especially popular, as well as the cities of Hamburg and Berlin.
This
positive trend is set to continue in 2013. “We expect overnights by
foreign visitors to increase by 2 to 3 per cent“, said Petra
Hedorfer, head of Deutsche Zentrale für Tourismus (DZT). “Our aim
is to exceed 80 million by 2020.“ Around 75 per cent of foreign
visitors are from Europe. However, Germany is becoming increasingly
popular with tourists from the Gulf States, Russia, China and Brazil.
In each of these countries there was a double-digit increase in the
number of tourists visiting Germany.
DZT
is focusing its activities on youth travel to ensure visitor numbers
do not decline in the future. A campaign under the heading of “Youth
Hot Spots in Germany – Share the Moment“ is aimed at attracting
young people to visit Germany via social networking platforms such as
Facebook and Twitter. The campaign’s official launch was at ITB
Berlin 2013. Its main elements are a mobile app and a newly set up
microsite that presents highlights as seen through the eyes of young
people.