Record number of tourists to Germany

Germany welcomed a record number of tourists in 2010, official statistics showed Wednesday, with guests from abroad registering a hefty increase on the previous year.

A total of 380.3 million overnight stays were recorded last year, the Destatis statistics office said, a three-percent rise compared to 2009 and the highest figure since records for reunified Germany began in 1992.

Of these, some 320 million stays were by Germans on holiday in their own country and 60 million were overseas tourists, a rise of 10 percent compared to 2009.

Tourists were increasingly visiting big cities and staying in hotels rather than on campsites or in holiday homes, Destatis said.