Destination Germany proved itself to be extremely competitive in terms of incoming tourism in 2009: arrivals in Germany declined by only 2.7 per cent according to UNWTO (United Nations World Tourism Organization) statistics, whereas international arrivals decreased by approximately 4.3 per cent worldwide and as much as 5.6 per cent in Europe.

Germany also did comparatively well when it came to overnight stays in hotels: according to a study by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, overnight stays in hotels in the European Union by international visitors decreased by 9.1 per cent between 2008 and 2009. However, the figure for German hotels declined by only 4.6 per cent, putting Germany in second place in the EU behind Sweden. These studies indicate that Germany succeeded in expanding its market share in 2009 despite the prevailing financial and economic crises. Between January and December 2009, the German Federal Statistical Office registered around 54.8 million overnight stays by international visitors in hotels and guesthouses with more than nine beds and at campsites, representing a comparatively moderate year-on-year fall of 3 per cent. Despite the economic crisis, the number of overnight stays in August 2009 – the busiest month for travel – was actually 2.2 per cent higher than in the same month in 2008, which had been a record-breaking year. Increases in November and December also helped stem the decline for 2009 as a whole, indicating that the incoming tourism industry has turned the corner. As a result, tourism in Germany ended the year on a high note in key incoming markets such as the Netherlands, Austria, Denmark and Belgium. The Netherlands, the largest source market for German incoming tourism, generated around 9.9 million overnight stays in 2009, representing a 2.8 per cent increase on the previous year. Overall, travel to Germany from Europe proved to be relatively resistant to the crisis. With 42.2 million overnight stays by visitors from Europe, 2009 ended just 1.7 per cent down on 2008.

As expected, incoming tourism from overseas destinations was less positive, recording a fall of 7.3 per cent overall. Nonetheless, there are positive signs from the United States – Germany's largest overseas market and second most important source market: Although the reduction in the first six months was in double figures, the decline then tapered off thanks to a good summer season. Overnight stays in November were actually 5.2 per cent higher than in November 2008, partly due to the celebrations marking 20 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall. However, the overall figure for 2009 was 3.4 per cent lower than for 2008.