About
Tourism
It is hard to overstate the importance of tourism to Berlin’s economy. Lacking a strong industrial base, the city all but lives from visitors from both the rest of Germany and abroad.
It’s fortunate then that Berlin continues to attract increasing numbers of tourists each year. More than seven million guests visited the city in 2006, the year Berlin hosted the World Cup finals, accounting for nearly 16 million nights stayed in hotels. At last count there were some 578 accommodation providers offering nearly 86,000 beds; however it seems as if a new luxury hotel or backpacker hostel springs up each day.
The overwhelming majority of tourists are Germans visiting their capital. However, the city is an increasingly popular destination for foreign tourists as well. In 2006, the British were the largest group, followed by the Americans and the Dutch. As you would expect for a city with such diverse attractions, the type of tourist coming to Berlin ranges widely. There might be lots of highbrow cultural aficionados hoping to visit the world-class Berlin Philharmoniker, but there are plenty of electronic music fans heading to the city’s equally impressive clubs. Berlin may have lost the now defunct Love Parade, which was once the planet’s largest outdoor techno party, but it hasn’t hurt the city’s reputation of having a fantastic and hedonistic nightlife.
Restoration work continues on the superb cultural complex and Unesco World Heritage site, the Museumsinsel, which includes several top museums. Some of the biggest tourist draws are within walking distance of one another: the Brandenburg Gate (a symbol of German unity), the Reichstag, with its glass dome open to the public, and the affecting Holocaust memorial And while it can’t compete with Versailles perhaps, Potsdam has an impressive collection of royal palaces just a short train ride from the centre of Berlin.
The city hosts a number of trade shows and conventions each year, among them the ITB tourism industry trade show.
It’s fortunate then that Berlin continues to attract increasing numbers of tourists each year. More than seven million guests visited the city in 2006, the year Berlin hosted the World Cup finals, accounting for nearly 16 million nights stayed in hotels. At last count there were some 578 accommodation providers offering nearly 86,000 beds; however it seems as if a new luxury hotel or backpacker hostel springs up each day.
The overwhelming majority of tourists are Germans visiting their capital. However, the city is an increasingly popular destination for foreign tourists as well. In 2006, the British were the largest group, followed by the Americans and the Dutch. As you would expect for a city with such diverse attractions, the type of tourist coming to Berlin ranges widely. There might be lots of highbrow cultural aficionados hoping to visit the world-class Berlin Philharmoniker, but there are plenty of electronic music fans heading to the city’s equally impressive clubs. Berlin may have lost the now defunct Love Parade, which was once the planet’s largest outdoor techno party, but it hasn’t hurt the city’s reputation of having a fantastic and hedonistic nightlife.
Restoration work continues on the superb cultural complex and Unesco World Heritage site, the Museumsinsel, which includes several top museums. Some of the biggest tourist draws are within walking distance of one another: the Brandenburg Gate (a symbol of German unity), the Reichstag, with its glass dome open to the public, and the affecting Holocaust memorial And while it can’t compete with Versailles perhaps, Potsdam has an impressive collection of royal palaces just a short train ride from the centre of Berlin.
The city hosts a number of trade shows and conventions each year, among them the ITB tourism industry trade show.
