An Icelandair airplane prepares to land at Frankfurt airport in Frankfurt, Germany, on Jan. 17, 2022. (Xinhua/Lu Yang)
Although the number of overnight stays increased markedly by 45.3 percent year-on-year in 2022, the figure was still 9.1 percent lower than back in 2019, the year before the COVID-19 pandemic began.
BERLIN, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) -- Germany's tourism industry has largely recovered from the COVID-19 crisis but did not yet reach pre-pandemic levels in 2022, according to a report based on provisional results published by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) on Friday.
Although the number of overnight stays increased markedly by 45.3 percent year-on-year in 2022, the figure was still 9.1 percent lower than back in 2019, the year before the COVID-19 pandemic began.
The number of overnight stays by international guests more than doubled last year. "The global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on international tourism in Germany thus decreased," Destatis said.
Photo taken on Oct. 7, 2022 shows the Hotel de Rome illuminated during the 2022 Festival of Lights in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Stefan Zeitz/Xinhua)
Visits by German citizens abroad also picked up last year, with sales of booked trips coming close to the level seen in the summer of 2019, according to the German Travel Association (DRV).
"The desire to travel is back after a long COVID-19 break," a DRV spokesperson told Xinhua on Friday.
According to the latest industry survey conducted by the German Hotel and Restaurant Association (DEHOGA), the mood in the country's hospitality sector has improved slightly in February.
However, there were still "daunting challenges," such as high inflation and an increase in bureaucracy.
In 2023, German travelers would likely "act a bit more price-sensitive" by booking more all-inclusive deals, for example, the DRV spokesperson said.
A staff member serves beer on the opening day of the Oktoberfest 2022 in Munich, Germany, Sept. 17, 2022. (Xinhua/Shan Weiyi)■
