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16 December 2003
COLOGNE – For the first time since 1999 the number of Germans visiting the United States is expected to increase next year, the Visit USA Committee Germany (VUSA) said in Cologne.
Many tourists had postponed their trips after the 11 September 2001 terror attacks and the Iraq war. “But the situation has now normalised,” said VUSA president Rita Hille.
The committee, which represents US states, airlines and travel agencies, based its prognosis on incoming bookings for next year.
Major German travel agencies such as TUI, Thomas Cook and FTI also said they registered a growing interest in visits to the US.
The Office of Travel & Tourism Industries in the US recorded this year 1.153 million visitors from Germany. In 2004, the number is expected to rise to 1.23 million.
The rise in the value of the euro against the US dollar is also seen by travel industry analysts as an added enticement, giving German as well as other European tourists more spending power when they travel to America.
DPA
Subject: German news