BERLIN, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- The number of overnight stays by domestic and foreign guests in Germany is expected to reach a new record of around 477 million stays in 2018, the German Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) announced on Monday.
Adding in a prognosis for December for which there is no data available yet, the German statisticians estimate that overnight stays booked in Germany during 2018 grew by four percent. This would mark the ninth yearly increase in a row, according to Destatis.
Speaking to Xinhua on Monday, the German hotel and restaurant association (DEHOGA) explained that domestic tourism in Germany had been boosted "by the beautiful summer weather and the continuing favorable macroeconomic conditions with a strong domestic demand."
Holiday hotels would have "benefited in particular" from the sunniest season since the beginning of weather records, DEHOGA told Xinhua. In 2018, the highest number of overnight stays was booked in July with around 56.3 million stays.
However, the German hotel and restaurant industry would also face several challenges like increasing costs and bureaucracy as well as the "noticeable shortage of staff", DEHOGA added. "The profit situation often remains tense."
