With more than 133 million foreign visitors (2008) Germany is ranked as the 7th most visited travel destination worldwide. A total of 27.2 billion Euros is spent on travel and tourism, this is equivalent to 3.2% of Germany's GNP.
The capital Berlin is currently on position 8 among the top 100 list of most visited cities. Including camping sites and accommodation with 9 or more beds, a total of 369.6 million overnights were spent in Germany during 2008, this includes 56.5 million nights by foreign visitors. More than 30% of Germans spend their holiday in their own country. which shows that Germans love to travel within their own country.
During 2008 the most visited federal states were: Bavaria with 76.91 million nights followed by Baden-Württemberg 43.62 million nights and Lower-Saxony with 41.52 million nights. The majority of foreign tourists came from the Netherlands with 9.69 million nights, the United States 4.45 million nights and the UK with 4.22 million nights.
The Federal Republic of Germany has a prospering tourism industry. Tourism in Germany has expanded since the end of World War II, and many tourists visit Germany to experience a sense of European history. The countryside exhibits a pastoral aura, while its cities exhibit both a modern and classical feel. Some tourist towns in Germany include: Bamberg, Berlin, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Heidelberg, Würzburg, Munich, Tübingen, Calw, Goslar, Lübeck, Aachen, Schwangau, Dresden and Quedlinburg.
Popular perceptions and reasons for holidaying in Germany are: culture (75%), outdoors/countryside (59%), cities (59%), cleanliness (47%), security (41%), modernity (36%), good hotels (35%), good gastronomy/cuisine (34%), good accessibility (30%), cosmopolitanism/hospitality (27%), good shopping opportunities (21%), exciting nightlife (17%) and good price/performance ratio (10%) (multiple answers were possible).
Forthcoming highlights for Germany are: 20 Years since the Fall of the Wall, the Passion Plays in Oberammergau (Bavaria) in 2010 and Ruhr 2010 European capital of culture.
The official body for tourism in Germany is The German National Tourist Board, represented worldwide by local National Tourist Offices in 29 countries.
Tag cloud: Germany,travel destination,travel and tourism,travel and tourism, foreign visitors, tourism industry, Bamberg, Berlin, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Heidelberg, Würzburg, Munich, Tübingen, Calw, Goslar, Lübeck, Aachen, Schwangau, Dresden and Quedlinburg,German National Tourist Board
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