Tourism worldwide grew by four per cent to 1.1 billion arrivals last year but experts have noticed a change in global patterns and recorded “stagnation” in travel to Europe.

“We are living in turbulent times. It’s not easy both for travellers and business. It is only if we join forces that we can move forward,” Petra Hedorfer, CEO of the German National Tourist Board, said during the annual Germany Travel Mart in Nuremberg.

That notwithstanding, Germany again reported a strong performance in terms of tourism, posting a three per cent increase over the previous year.

“The figures show visitors feel safe here,” she told a gathering of international journalists, noting that over two million fewer Germans had travelled to the Middle East, including Tunisia and Egypt, because of the prevailing security situation there and opted to holiday in the Mediterranean instead. France experienced a four per cent drop because of the economic crisis and the terror attacks.

“Destination Germany is a strong brand in the international market. Economic factors, such as Brexit and financial crises in high-volume source markets and security concerns, such as the fear of terrorist attacks, can temporarily dampen the appetite for travel in some source markets. In the mid- to long-term, however, the tourist appeal, the infrastructure and the customer focus a country offers will define the value of its brand as a travel destination,” Hedorfer said.

We are living in turbulent times. It’s not easy both for travellers and business. It is only if we join forces that we can move forward

Despite the difficult conditions, Germany retained its top ranking as a destination for cultural travel and city breaks among European holidaymakers.

According to the latest IPK International’s World Travel Monitor, Germany is the second most popular travel destination for Europeans, with 53.6 million trips. Spain posted a nine per cent growth and topped the rankings with 61.9 million trips. France remains in third place, despite the four per cent drop to 37.6 million trips. Then come Italy (36.2 million trips) and Austria (27.4 million trips).

The German National Tourist Board is forecasting a growth of up to two per cent for this year on the basis of analysis by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation and the World Travel Monitor as well as projections by the Federal Statistical Office. With 55 per cent share of the market, holidays remain the biggest travel segment from Europe to Germany. Such visits last year experienced a year-on-year growth of three per cent, reaching 29.7 million. Visitors opting for holidays of four or more nights increased by six per cent to 17.8 million. At 11.9 million, the number of mini-breaks represented a drop of two per cent on the previous year. Yet, city breaks proved very attractive, rising 23 per cent to 12 million.

The data shows that Germany is very popular among the Maltese. In fact, the number of overnight stays in accommodation establishments and campsites last year totalled 66,416, up 19 per cent. The bulk, of course, stayed at accommodation establishments as overnight stays in campsites amounted to 274 – not many but it represented an increase of over 48 per cent, which could indicate a growing interest among Maltese holidaymakers in this type of accommodation.

Holiday trips from source markets outside Europe were up one per cent to 4.4 million and the business travel sector held steady at two million.

Europeans spend an average of about €100 (including travel expenses, accommodation, shopping, etc) a day when in Germany, whereas those coming from beyond spend €318, mainly because there are more so-called luxury shoppers in this category.

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