The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) expects the total volume of tourism in Germany to grow by 2 per cent in 2008 to over 365 million overnight stays. (Figures apply to campsites and hotels and guesthouses with more than nine beds). This overall forecast comprises expected overnight stays by German guests within Germany and by visitors from other European countries and overseas. In view of the continuing growth since the 2006 FIFA World Cup and the greatly enhanced international image of Germany as a travel destination, the GNTB is raising its previous forecast for the incoming segment in 2015 by around five million to 66 million overnight stays, and 400 million overall.

In 2008, the GNTB expects the largest increase to be in incoming travel from western and eastern Europe. Among the main growth drivers identified by market researchers are the ever-increasing amount of business travel, the excellent value for money offered by Germany and the growth in low-cost travel, which is driving demand in the city breaks and health & fitness segments. The demographic shift towards ageing populations in western Europe is creating potential new target groups in that region, while in Poland and other eastern European countries, there is considerable potential from younger target groups who are more interested in specific events and new experiences.

In the foreseeable future, the need to grow more rapidly than the European average remains a key challenge for Germany's tourism industry. According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), market shares in the European travel market will shift in favour of Asian destinations in particular – one reason for Germany to raise the profile of its tourism sector. Promoting the country's health-related travel sector in the Arabian market and fully exploiting the growing potential of eastern European source markets are just some of the ways it can do this. Germany currently enjoys a 9 per cent share of the overall travel market and is the third most popular destination behind Spain (13 per cent) and France (10 per cent). Together, European countries account for more than 50 per cent of all worldwide travel (GNTB/IPK International 2008).

This is why Europe has the largest number of predicted overnight stays for 2015 at 51.3 million. The GNTB's projections, based on figures from the German Federal Statistical Office, put the number of overnight stays by visitors from Asia, Australia and Africa at 6.5 million. China is also expected to overtake Japan as the most important source market in Asia with around 2 million overnight stays.

Strong growth is also predicted in India, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates. The GNTB anticipates some eight million overnight stays by visitors from the Americas and Israel in 2015, of which around 6 million are expected from the US alone.