Berlin, 12 October 2012 Considering the number of guests, August was the most successful month for Berlin tourism in history. According to the Berlin-Brandenburg Statistics Office, more than one million visitors and 2.5 million overnight stays were registered for the first time.

The summer month of August has brought Berlin tourism a new visitor record: the number of overnight stays rose by 15.4 percent to 2,611,907. Overall, 1,027,523 visitors from Germany and abroad came to Berlin – representing an increase of 13.5 percent compared to the same month last year.

The interest of visitors from Eastern Europe, the Arab Gulf States and China is growing

Visitors from Western Europe and the U.S. appreciate Berlin as a destination for a summer city break. In August, the number of international guests rose by 14.1 per cent to 414,332. They generated nearly 1.2 million overnight stays in Berlin’s accommodations – a 15.6 percent up growth. Most of the international tourists came from Italy (43,410 visitors), followed by the United Kingdom (36,400), Spain (33,538), the United States (30,360) and the Netherlands (26,367).

Berlin welcomed an increasing number of guests from Eastern Europe, including Bulgaria (+ 114.2 percent) and Estonia (+69.2 percent). A significant demand from guests from the Arab Gulf States (+85.8 percent), China (+67.6 percent), Turkey (+54.8 per cent) and Russia (+41.4 percent) was also recorded.

Over 600,000 visitors (+13.2 percent) came from Germany and spent 1.429 million nights (+15.3 percent) in Berlin.

In August 780 accommodation providers were available - from low cost to luxury - with 125,400 beds (an increase of 3.7 percent). With 66.6 percent the occupancy was significantly higher than the 59.6 percent recorded the year before. The average length of stay remained unchanged at 2.5 days.

With the warmest summer temperatures in Germany, Berlin was a popular destination for tourists from around the world. According to the German Meteorological Service, at 18.1°C and with 609 hours of sunshine, the capital was the sunniest German region this summer.