German Incoming Tourism Achieves Sixth Record Breaking Result in a Row

New York City, March 14, 2016 – With 79.7 million international overnight stays recorded in 2015, incoming tourism for Germany has registered its sixth record-breaking result in a row. According to the latest information from the Federal Statistical Office, there were an additional 4.1 million international overnight stays in accommodation properties of at least 10 beds in 2015 compared with the same period in 2014 - an increase of 5.4 percent. The U.S. scored its best result ever, recording an 8.5 percent increase for a total of 5.6 million overnights.

Petra Hedorfer, CEO of the German National Tourist Board (GNTB), explains: “The balance sheet for 2015 exceeds our own expectations and the predictions of the UNWTO, which had anticipated a worldwide growth of three to four percent for international tourism. Even compared to the other big European destinations, Germany is scoring as a growth generator.”

Europe remains most important source market
European countries represent 73.4 percent of all international overnight stays in Germany. With an increase of 2.1 million overnights – 50 percent of the total growth – these source markets have made the biggest contribution: Spain leads with 517,000 additional overnight stays, followed by Switzerland (an increase of 492,000), then the United Kingdom (382,000) and the Netherlands (which showed an increase of 176,000).

Nine of the Top 10 source markets for German incoming tourism are located in Europe. Ranked in first place are the Netherlands with 11.2 million overnights (an increase of 1.9 percent), while Switzerland is in second place with 6.4 million overnights (an increase of 8.4

percent). High increases were also recorded by the UK with a 7.4 percent increase in overnights compared to the previous year, thus retaining its fourth place on the incoming rankings, close behind the U.S. Further rankings show Italy, Austria, Denmark, France and Belgium follow with increases of between 1.3 to 5 percent. The biggest growth in 2015 amongst the European markets was registered for Spain (an increase of 24.2 percent with 2.7 million overnights) – bringing the Iberians back to the Top 10.

Continuing dynamic development from the overseas markets
Growth rankings in overseas markets show China in first place with 505,000 additional overnights compared to the previous year, followed by the USA with an increase of 439,000 overnights, followed by the Arab Gulf States (an increase of 330,000).

The U.S., the third most important source market for Germany as a travel destination, remains the biggest overseas market and is still developing dynamically, contributing 5.6 million overnights in total (an increase of 8.5 percent) to Germany's incoming tourism in 2015. With 2.5 million overnights in total (a 24.8 percent increase) China is edging closer to a place in the Top 10 source markets for Germany. The Arab Gulf States are on their way up, too, reaching the two million mark for the first time with a 17.7 percent increase. Overall, the overseas markets were able to develop better than the average with an increase of 18.8 percent and achieved an overnights' volume of 19.7 million in 2015.

Cautious optimism for 2016
A range of uncertainties greet the expectations at the beginning of 2016. The security situation in Europe and the world, the development of the refugee situation and the circumstances of the world economy could affect consumer travel behaviour. Considering these factors, a growth rate of one to three percent would seem realistic for 2016.

About the GNTB
The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) has its headquarters in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It works on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) to represent Germany as a tourist destination and is funded by the Ministry in accordance with a decision taken by the German Bundestag. The GNTB develops and communicates strategies and products to promote Germany's positive image abroad as a tourist destination and to encourage tourists to visit the country. It has 30 agencies around the world to support its activities. More information can be found in our online press centre at www.germany.travel/press.