Berlin, July 8, 2011 There is no end to Berlin's popularity with visitors from both at home and abroad: In May 2011, some 929,000 visitors flocked to Berlin, spending more than 2 million nights in the German capital. According to current figures from the Office for Statistics of Berlin-Brandenburg, this corresponds to a growth of 10.4 percent in the number of guests and an increase of 6.24 percent in the total number of overnight stays in comparison to the same month in the previous year.

“April and May were fantastic, the city was bursting at the seams," says Burkhard Kieker, managing director of visitBerlin. He also sees grounds for optimism in respect of the summer months: "Berlin in the summer is a much sought-after tourist destination. The city offers its visitors a mixture of complete cultural and recreational packages. This is what distinguishes it from many other European metropolises."

The overall total of foreign guests increased in May by 12.34 percent to 317,400. They spent 794,400 nights (up 9.24 percent) in Berlin. The highest rates of increase were observed among visitors from Great Britain (up 22.64 percent), Spain (up 18.44 percent) and Switzerland (up 16.54 percent). 611,500 visitors travelled to the capital from across Germany, an increase of 9.44 percent on the same month in the previous year. The total number of overnight stays of this group increased to 1,256,500 (up 4.34 percent).

In May, a total of 119,619 beds in 768 accommodating establishments throughout Berlin were available to tourists and business travellers.

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