For the fourth year in a row, the German National Tourist Board has registered record numbers of overnight stays by international visitors to the country. 

Figures for 2013 have exceeded the projected target of 70 million overnights and provisional figures released by the Federal Statistical Office show that 71.6 million overnight stays by international visitors were recorded.

This represents an increase of four per cent compared to the previous year.

“Despite the difficult economic conditions in Europe and the world, Germany’s incoming tourism in 2013 has developed strongly. 

“Brand ‘Destination Germany’ is seeing a continuing increased global demand and presents itself in prime form,” said Petra Hedorfer, chief executive, German National Tourist Board.

Five source markets generate close to half of the 2013 growth.

Foreign overnights for January to November 2013 increased by close to three million, 46 per cent (1.3-million overnights) generated by visitors from Great Britain (349,000), Russia (322,000), Switzerland (248,000), Arabian Gulf nations (237,000) and Poland (173,000).

Bavaria continues to receive the highest number of all foreign overnights, followed by Germany’s capital, Berlin, with the state of Baden-Württemberg in third place.

Since 2009, six source markets account for 40 per cent of German incoming tourism.

In the past five years, Germany recorded constant increases in visitor overnights from Switzerland, Russia, Great Britain, Poland, the Netherlands and China, generating an overall increase of 42 per cent, or 7.1-million overnights of the total 16.8 million from abroad since 2009.