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Berlin's tourism boom died Sept. 11

Children dressed in traditional clothes ride a float in an Oktoberfest parade Sunday. Visitors to this year's festival were a third fewer than last year and they drank a modest 510,000 litre beers, 35 percent lower than a year ago. PHOTO: REUTERS

Berlin, which in the past five years has experienced a boom in foreign tourism arrivals, suffered a record drop in American visitors in the wake of Sept. ll's US terror attacks.

The number of American visitors to Berlin -- Germany's tourism capital -- plummeted by a record 37.8 percent in September, and although there has been some improvement since, figures continue to be down on last year.

It's been a similar story in a host of cities throughout Europe, with London, Paris, and Amsterdam especially hurting since Sept. ll.

Hanns Peter Nerger, Berlin Tourism's marketing chief, says the conference and congress market has been especially badly hit by the repercussions of the terrorist attacks. "Several conferences have been postponed or suffered drops in participants," he says.

September's figures reveal that 493,792 guests were registered in the city's hotels and boarding houses -- 7.3 percent less than in the same month last year, and overnight stays fell simultaneously by 5.2 percent to l.14 million.

"?[BTM] will continue its marketing activities in the USA as planned. It's particularly important we show solidarity with our partners in the United States."

Hanns Petet Nerger, chief, Berlin Tourism Marketing (BTM)

While there has been slight improvement since then, the city continues to hurt as a result of the dramatic decline in American visitors.

From within Germany, a total of 371,332 guests in September meant a 5.8 percent drop over the same period last year, but far more pronounced has been the slump in foreign visitors.

A total of 122,460 international guests checked into hotels and boarding houses in the capital in September -- 11.8 percent less than in the previous month. Overnight stays also declined by 9.8 percent.

The number of visitors from Japan declined by 15.9 percent and from Canada by 11.4 percent. Though expected, it has been the record drop in American visitors -- nearly 50 percent -- that has hurt Berlin most.

"Nevertheless, the Berlin Tourism Marketing organization [BTM] will continue its marketing activities in the USA as planned. It's particularly important we show solidarity with our partners in the United States," he said.

Nerger says forecasting trends in the travel sector currently is proving difficult, with "the market not reacting at all in a uniform manner."

Berlin has been a booming metropolis in terms of tourism, chalking up 28.5 million overnight stays last year.

With ll.5 million room nights in the commercial accommodation sector, 68 million day trippers, and seven million business travellers, the metropolis has the edge over its competitors, claims a study commissioned by the Investitions Bank Berlin and the Tourism Marketing Company.

"The main goal was to identify the economic importance of tourism in Berlin on the basis of up-to-date surveys and the evaluation of existing statistics and studies," claims BTM.

Berlin's wobbly economy derives DM4.77 billion (US$2.3 billion) from tourism -- 4.3 percent of city income. "At least 66,170 jobs are linked to this, but the actual number of people who generate at least part of their income from tourism is far higher," states BTM.

Berlin relies on tourism to generate DMl.15 billion in tax revenues for its public treasury ever year. Unable to compete with Stuttgart, Munich and Duesseldorf in industrial terms, it has been putting much emphasis on tourism as a means of boosting city revenues in recent years.
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