The latest figures on tourism published by the Federal Statistical Office fill the hotel and accomodation industry with optimism. Over the first half of 2007 there were 159.9 million overnight stays registered by hotels with nine or more beds and at camping sites. This figure reflects an increase by 3.4% as compared to the first six months of 2006.
What is particularly remarkable about this figure is that the increase in overnight stays is mainly due to increased domestic demand. Thus, 136.1 million overnight stays were booked by German tourists in the first half of 2007 which is an increase by 3.7% compared to the same period in 2006. It is in particular tourism to big cities which keeps developing positively. In cities with more than 100.000 inhabitants there were 4% more overnight stays in the first half of 2007. As was already the case in 2006 this year´s tourism leader is once more Bavaria where 34.2 million overnight stays where registered in the first half of 2007. 