For the year 2015, German incoming tourism is heading for the 80 million mark: According to the latest information from the Federal Statistical Office, the volume of international overnights in accommodation properties of at least 10 beds grew to 74.2 million overnights through November, an increase of 5.6% compared with the same period in 2014. These numbers mean that the refugee crisis didn’t have significant impact on tourism in Germany. As we reported, Bavaria has also had a record year.

Petra Hedorfer, CEO of the German National Tourist Board (GNTB), illustrates the numbers at hand: “Even compared with other European destination, Germany’s incoming numbers scored an above average result. According to the latest estimates by Eurostat, the number of international overnights in EU countries will grow by an average of 3.5%. With our prognosis of 5.7%, we are well above this value and also rank above all other big tourism destinations.”

Hedorfer on expectations for 2016 :“Destination Germany, as an internationally popular brand with its outstanding infrastructure and excellent value-for- money offerings is predestined to continue its growth history in the international competition in a sustainable manner. However, economic uncertainties in many markets and the threat of terrorism attacks dampen the wanderlust. Furthermore, negative impacts of the refugee situation are recorded in some source markets. Therefore, we believe that a growth rate of one to three percent is realistic for 2016.“