Berlin, 10. Dezember 2013 What role does tourism play in Berlin's cultural scene? What role does culture play in a visit to the German capital? More than half (59%) of visitors to Berlin's cultural institutions are tourists. This statistic was reported in the latest annual figures from KULMON, a survey of visitors to Berlin's cultural institutions. visitBerlin presented these results today at a German National Tourist Board press conference on "UNESCO World Heritage Sites and Sustainable Nature and Culture Tourism".

Burkhard Kieker, visitBerlin CEO, comments: "Culture is a tourist magnet. Visitors come to Berlin to see the places where history was made. This is why museums and memorial sites are particular favourites. Cultural tourists are also a plus for the city's hoteliers, because they tend to stay longer in the city."

On average, one out of every three visitors (31%) to Berlin's cultural institutions comes from a German state outside of Berlin. Foreign guests make up 28 per cent of the visitors, a 2 per cent increase over the previous year.

Museums and memorial sites are especially popular with visitors from Germany and abroad: Tourists made up 85 per cent of museum visits (45% from abroad and 40% from other parts of Germany). The share of non-Berliners at memorial sites is even higher at 90 per cent (59% international visitors and 31% other Germans).

Cultural tourists stay longer in the city

The average stay for domestic and international respondents to the survey in museums and memorials was 4.2 days. Those coming to the city for stage performances stay an average of 3.9 days, which is longer than the 2.4 days average that visitors generally stay in Berlin. A study (only available in German) published by visitBerlin in Summer 2013 showed that visitors with a high interest in culture also spend the most during their stay in Berlin.

Another result of the study showed that Berlin's cultural institutions are a key part of what draws visitors to the city from all over the world: about one-third (28%) of domestic and foreign respondents indicated that the only or primary reason for their visit to Berlin was to attend an orchestra concert. Twenty-six per cent of those attending opera, ballet and dance performances indicated that this was the reason for their trip to the capital. As can be seen, Berlin's museums and theatres are helping Berlin's growth as a tourist destination.

The KULMON project is managed by visitBerlin. In collaboration with the Senate Office of Cultural Affairs, KULMON began collecting data from visitors to Berlin cultural institutions in 2008. The questions asked concern age, origin, accommodations and how visitors obtain information. KULMON now counts 22 cultural institutions of all sorts as its participants, including the Neues Museum, the Deutsches Theater, the city's opera ensembles, the Berlin Wall Memorial and, for the first time, the Humboldt-Box. More than 50,000 interviews were conducted for the most recent survey. The project is supported by funding from the EU. The study (only available in German) can be downloaded at the visitBerlinPress Portal.