The number of foreign tourists who trekked to Europe's biggest economy last year rose by 5.0 percent to 75.5 million, the federal statistics office Destatis said in a statement. It was the fifth annual record in a row.
Overnight stays by German tourists in hotels, bed and breakfast and camp sites also increased by 3 percent to 348.5 million. That pushed the overall total including both German and foreign tourists to 424 million overnight stays, up three percent.
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Germany has steadily increased its advertising of its tourism potential. More than €28 million of budget funds were allocated to the National Tourist Board for this purpose in 2014.
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But whereas some countries tend to overglamourize themselves with flowery slogans, Germany has generally preferred a more understated approach, opting simply for 'Germany – The travel destination'.
As for the most popular sites visited, the outright winner over the years is Bavaria's Neuschwanstein Castle, a folly built by King Ludwig II in the 19th century and immortalized in movies like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968).
Not so picturesque but infinitely more adrenaline-charged is the number two favourite attraction, the Europa theme park near Freiburg, according to a list of top 100 sites compiled by the Ministry of Economic Development.
The Berlin Wall surprisingly only scores fifth place, after Cologne Cathedral and the Medieval town of Rothenburg.
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