Strong H1 for German tourism
Figures from the World Travel Monitor show that incoming tourism to Germany enjoyed a strong first half of 2019
Incoming tourism rose by 3.7 per cent during H1 compared with H1 2018 – especially notable when compared to the 3.5-per-cent rise shown for worldwide tourism as a whole, and the 2.5-per-cent rise shown for Europe as a whole. The Americas and Asia enjoyed rises of four per cent and five per cent respectively.
Looking more specifically at incoming tourism to Germany from source markets within Europe, a rise of nearly four per cent was noted, putting the country on equal footing with Austria, Italy and Spain, and strongly ahead of the UK and Switzerland.
“Destination Germany is in a very strong position within the increasing competition between destinations” said Petra Hedorfer, CEO of the German National Tourist Board (GNTB). “Despite these welcome trends, we still have to master major challenges due to weaker economic growth in the Eurozone, climate discussions, trade conflicts and no-deal Brexit issues.”
In recent years, according to GNTB, the most important worldwide source markets for incoming tourism to Germany have been the Netherlands, Switzerland, the US, the UK, Austria, Italy, France, Denmark, Belgium, Poland, China and Spain. Estimates suggest that the country’s tourism industry could potentially achieve 121.5 million overnight stays by 2030.