Berlin, 9 May 2011 What the “Füchse Berlin” are striving for at tomorrow’s handball final, has already been achieved by the German capital: it plays in the Champions League. Berlin is amongst Europe’s most popular travel destinations. But how can the city assert itself in the top league? This question was dealt with today by 300 experts from Berlin – including hoteliers, restaurant owners, cultural experts as well as journalists – during the Tourism Day 2011. Topic: ”Berlin. Champions League. A Training Programme.“

Harald Wolf, Mayor and Senator of Commerce, Technology and Women: “Berlin has established itself during the past years with an excellent team at the top of the European tourism metropolises. Tourism has become a key sector which has a positive impact on all areas of economic development thanks to its extraordinary image effect. In this context it needs to be stressed that without tourist attractions no metropolis is able to engage in an effective medium- and long-term locational development. It is, therefore, important not to rest on one’s laurels but to hold on to the ball in order to advance tourism in the city.”

visitBerlin CEO Burkhard Kieker: “One thing is for sure: we must keep Berlin as surprising as it is today. Visitors love the permanent change, the authentic, the unfinished in the German capital. In a completely digitised world in which one can detect on high-resolution pictures so-to-speak a sand grain on a Pacific beach, the genuine place becomes increasingly important.”

At the Tourism Day 2011graphics designer Erik Spiekermann spoke about the strong brand Berlin and social media expert Daniel Amersdorffer explained the commercial utilisation of social networks. Economic researcher Dr. Bastian Lange gave a lecture on the change in the German capital from a Creative to an Open City, whilst Mehdi Langanke of TUI dealt with the topic “Health Tourism and Berlin”.

The event, which was presented by RTL news anchor Christof Lang, also welcomed Michel Couturier from New York City. The convention expert explained what Berlin has to do to continue to play in the top league of convention cities.

The meanwhile fourth “Tourism Day” was organised by visitBerlin together with the Berlin Senate Administration for Commerce, Technology and Women, the Chamber of Industry and Commerce Berlin and the Berlin HoReCa Association. It took place in FriedrichstadtPalast.

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