Between January and May, 2015 an additional 1.1 million overnights were generated by international visitors to Germany, compared with the same period last year. This is according to the latest numbers from the Federal Statistical Office based on statistics from accommodation facilities with ten or more beds as well as camping grounds. Overall, 27.1 million international overnights were registered, an increase of 4.1 percent.
Petra Hedorfer, CEO of the German National Tourist Board (GNTB), explains these most recent numbers: „The big Western European source markets, in particular, contributed to the great result with excellent May numbers. Almost 500,000 extra overnights (nearly half the increase) were generated by our Top 3 markets, The Netherlands, Switzerland and Great Britain.”
Europe continues to dominates the Top 10 markets
Germany’s most important market for incoming tourism is The Netherlands. After a somewhat slow start in the beginning of the year, they were back to generating considerable growth in May. Switzerland contributed above average growth in the first five months of the year. Great Britain remains in third place (plus 6.9 percent). After the U.S., Germany’s most important overseas market, Italy, Austria, France, Denmark, Belgium and Poland round out the Top 10.
Dynamic growth in Asian markets
The Asia/Pacific source markets once again highlighted their great potential and contributed double digit growth to Germany’s incoming tourism between January and May, 2015. China performed particularly well (a 19.4 percent increase), followed by the Arab Gulf States (an 11.7 percent increase) and India (a 10.3 percent increase).
The U.S. remains in first place of the overseas source markets with 1.8 million overnights in the first five months (a 3.7 percent increase). Overall, the GNTB expects an increase of roughly three percent for the country’s incoming tourism in 2015.
