Tourism Boom in Cheap Germany

Posted by Henk Bekker May 23, 2008

The German National Tourist Board’s comprehensive statistics makes for interesting reading. In the first place, it confirms that tourism in Germany is booming with huge increases in both domestic and foreign travelers.

More interesting to me is that tourists’ behavior is surprisingly rational. Whether by luck or through rational thought, foreigners travel to places in Germany that offer the best value for money.

• More than half of foreign visitors to Germany sleep in the major cities. A good choice – although hotels in smaller towns and the countryside can be even cheaper, hotels in German cities are often bargains. Hotels in Berlin are generally half the price of similar hotels in Paris or London.
• The busiest months for foreign visitors to Germany are July and August – not a bad choice as German tourists generally head abroad during these months and the tourist premium in German holiday areas is much lower than in other West European countries. During these months, hotel prices in German cities such as Dresden and Leipzig can be as low as in mid-winter. Four nights for the price of three or even three-for-two are not hard to find.

Between 1993 and 2007, the annual number of overnight stays in Germany increased by 50 million. In Berlin, the overall increase was 248% an in Dresden an incredible 380%. For travelers, Munich (München) remains the most expensive city in Germany but with 4.5 million annual travelers, Munich is only second to Berlin’s 6.6 million overnight guests.

It is predicted that overnight guests in Germany will increase from 361 million in 2007 to 400 million in 2015. Now is a good time to visit Germany while prices stay sane and queues at cheaply priced tourist attractions short.