"Berlin is poor, but sexy," runs the German capital's advertising slogan, a catchphrase that appears to be working as Berlin bucks the trend in the crisis-hit global tourist industry.
Playing on its reputation as a cheap, yet cool, destination for holidaymakers, Berlin lured 7.9 million tourists in 2008, breaking its own record for the fifth consecutive year with a gain of 4.2 percent from 2007.
Tourist numbers have soared since the early 1990s, when a mere three million visited the recently reunified city.
Most of these were visitors from the former East Germany, rediscovering half a city they were banned from seeing under Communist rule.
Berlin's hotels also report a roaring trade, with the number of people spending the night in hotels rising in 2008 to 17.8 million, a gain of 2.8 percent from the previous year.
The main reason for the boom: low prices. A four-star hotel room in Berlin will set you back less than 150 euros (188 dollars), less than half of what a similar hotel in Paris or London would cost.
Most visitors come for a weekend break, with the average tourist staying 2.6 days, the tourism office said.
Flying in on a budget
Low-cost airlines are also fuelling Berlin's tourism success. The city is the second biggest hub for low-cost airlines behind London said Christian Taenzler, a spokesman for the Berlin tourism office.
Half of all tourists arrive on low-cost flights, a spokesman for Berlin airports said. The arrival of Ryanair and easyJet in 2003 and 2004 really "gave us a big boost," he added. “In addition, today, these are the airlines less affected by the crisis."
Foreign tourism booming
The number of tourists from abroad has also boomed and now represents one-third of the total, up from around one quarter when the Berlin Wall was pulled down 20 years ago.
The largest foreign contingent is British, with 310,000 visitors to the city, followed by Italian and Dutch.
However, tourists from the other side of the Cold War Iron Curtain are also pouring into Berlin in droves, especially Poles and Russians who "are particularly interesting in shopping," Taenzler said.
Visitors from the east are often attracted by the city's history, with the centre point being this year's commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the fall of the wall.
Cultural activities are also high on tourists' agendas. Many flock to Berlin for its 16 national museums and cornucopia of theatres.
World famous nightlife
Others are attracted by cultural activities of a different type: the city's pumping nightlife.
Bars -- many of which still allow smoking -- are open round the clock.
Berlin also hosts world-famous clubs such as Berghain, which is regarded as the Mecca of techno music.
Friday and Saturday evenings see an invasion of young people to the city who dance through the night and leave the next morning. Those that do decide to sleep take advantage of a plethora of cheap hotels dotted around the city.
Also aiding Berlin's burgeoning tourist trade is its reputation as a magnet for trade fairs and conferences.
Berlin is the second city behind Vienna as a location for conferences worldwide, with over two million people attending a conference or trade fair in the German capital last year, according to Messe Berlin, a trade body.
Friendliness campaign
In the midst of this influx of tourism and also in response to the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Wall and the World Championships in athletics due in the city in August, Berlin has launched a new “friendliness” campaign.
Organized by the city government and local companies, the campaign hopes to appoint 4,000 civil servants, including police officers, public transport workers, waiters and trade fair hostesses, to be the city’s "good-mood ambassadors."
The ambassadors will wear special red pins to signal to visitors that they are happy to lend a helping hand.
Tourists write a message on the so-called East Side Gallery, a 1,3 km-long portion of the Berlin wall on 20 March 2009. This particular stretch of the wall was taken over by artists who decorated the yet untouchable east side, with artwork and political statements after the wall was taken down in 1989-1990. The wall is currently undergoing renovation work ahead of the 20th anniversary of the wall's fall.
"Berlin has a reputation in Germany of being a rude city but we're a rude city with a heart," Rene Gorka, head of Berlin Partners, a marketing group that promotes the city, told Reuters. "With the upcoming anniversary of the fall of the Wall and the World Championships in athletics, Berliners should be as friendly as they were in 2006 and not give any credence to our rude image."
Introduced earlier this month, the campaign mirrors a drive launched in 2006, when Germany hosted the soccer World Cup.
Laure Fillon/AFP/Expatica
Photo credits: diasUndKompott; bartvanpoll
Text size
Despite the economic crisis, the city that never sleeps is still attracting visitors from around the world.
Twitter
LinkedIn
Facebook
Flickr
0
