• 28th September 2023

City breaks lead the way

The latest German National Tourism Board annual report for 2022 has some interesting facts and figures. Overall, last year represented a decent recovery, ending up at 76 percent of pre-Covid levels, which is slightly above average for Europe. This year looks to have made further progress, increasing by approximately 20 percent, year on year.

Far and away the biggest slice of the pie is in city breaks, at 41 percent. Next on the list is multi-destination tours, at 14 percent, then rural tourism, at nine percent. In terms of source markets, the Netherlands is top, followed by Switzerland and then the USA. Word is that the UK has climbed to fourth in the current year.

Some 90 percent of visitor bookings are made online, with 18 percent via a travel agent or tour operator (either online or in person).

This year’s themes are sustainability and UNESCO World Heritage sites, with particular emphasis on newcomers, the Jewish-medieval heritage of Erfurt, and the Alpine and sub-alpine meadow marshes of Bavaria.