Tourism – both domestic and inbound – is big business in Germany. Over the past two decades, the number of international tourist arrivals has roughly doubled, reaching a projected 29.2 million in 2012. The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) is the successful driving force behind tourism development. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, tourism has experienced almost annual growth. This is an impressive achievement in light of the challenges that have faced the global travel market over the last decade. These include the threat of global terrorism post 9/11, SARS (Severe acute respiratory syndrome), swine flu and the prolonged grounding of flights due to the volcanic ash cloud created by the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull. World tourism is also still experiencing the ramifications of the current global financial crisis, the impact of which is currently being keenly felt in the Eurozone.

Country Reports are tourism profiles of destination countries.

This report is produced by one of a global network of industry analysts, who provide market-based information as well as detailed, insightful and localised interpretation of the facts and figures.

Each profile contains information on:

Tourist arrivals - overnights and expenditure

Purpose of visit - business, leisure or VFR

Accommodation supply - operating performance

Tourism policy - management

Transport - access and infrastructure

Tourism funding - promotion and future development