Germany continued to gain in popularity with holidaymakers in 2011, with a six per cent increase in visitor numbers between January and August.

According to preliminary figures from the Federal Statistical Office, the total number of international overnight stays made in Germany came to 43.5 million, 2.3 million more than were recorded in the same period in 2010.

Much of this success is due to the positive image that Germany continues to enjoy abroad.

“Destination Germany has maintained its excellent position by global comparison not only by recording impressive statistics, but also by projecting an outstanding image,” explains Ernst Burgbacher, parliamentary state secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economics and Technology and Federal Government Commissioner for SMEs and Tourism.

“The German National Tourist Board, which carries out marketing activities in 29 countries, plays a key role in this success.”

The positive image enjoyed by Destination Germany is borne out by two different surveys.

The first is the recently published Anholt-GfK Roper Nation Brands Index 2011, which ranks Germany in second place worldwide in terms of its image abroad – a position it also occupied in 2010.

The second is the 2011 Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI), which is published every other year by the World Economic Forum (WEF) and gauges tourism competitiveness.

This puts Germany in second place behind Switzerland in a global comparison of 139 countries.

In the previous TTCI from 2009, Germany ranked third.

“The international rankings for 2011 once again put Destination Germany among the front-runners.

“High-profile events such as the 2006 FIFA World Cup have had a big impact on this ongoing success,” said Petra Hedorfer, chief executive officer of the German National Tourist Board.

In 2011, Germany also gained ground in terms of its image as a tourist destination, moving up one position to eighth in the Nation Brands Index (NBI).

Before the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Germany was placed 19th in the rankings.

Afterwards, it rose six places to 13th on the back of this high-profile event.

The Anholt-GfK Roper Nation Brands Index is conducted on an annual basis in partnership with GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media.