Frankfurt am Main/Berlin, 6 March 2013 - Destination Germany is becoming increasingly popular with international visitors. "In the last three years tourism in Germany has grown at a faster rate than the global and European average, and the country has continued to strengthen its position as one of the most popular travel destinations," says Petra Hedorfer, Chief Executive Officer of the German National Tourist Board (GNTB). This trend is confirmed by a whole series of studies including the latest international survey on the attractiveness of countries: the Anholt-GfK Roper Nation Brands Index, which measures and compares the reputation of 50 countries around the world, ranked Germany second, behind only the USA and ahead of the UK in third. In the survey, Germany was perceived as a reliable, trustworthy and modern country and it scored particularly highly in the field of business and innovation.

This positive perception is also reflected in the satisfaction of international visitors with their stay in Germany. In the latest Quality Monitor, a survey of the German tourism industry conducted by the GNTB and travel insurance company Europäische Reiseversicherung (ERV), guests from abroad gave their stay in Germany an average mark of 1.8 on a scale of 1 (excellent) to 6 (poor). Scores of 1.8 in terms of satisfaction were also recorded for the choice of arts and culture and the ambience.

The high international recognition for Germany's cultural resources is confirmed by another recent study. In the 2011 Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report, published by the World Economic Forum, Germany received very good ratings for its cultural resources in an international comparison of 139 countries: Destination Germany's cultural treasures were awarded 6.2 out of a possible seven points by visitors from other countries. The transport infrastructure also scored highly with 6.5 points, while Germany achieved its top rating of with 6.8 points in the health and hygiene category.

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 of Economics and Technology (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/presse.