TOURISM, TRAVEL, AND RECREATION
Germany is famous for its beautiful scenery, particularly the Alps
in the south and the river valleys of the Rhine, Main, and Danube;
the landscape is dotted with castles and medieval villages. Th eater,
opera, and orchestral music abound in the major cities. Th e area
that was formerly the German Democratic Republic off ers a number
of Baltic beach resorts and scenic Rügen Island. Residents of
the United States and Canada need only a valid passport to enter
Germany for a period of no more than three months; citizens of
other countries need a visa. All border formalities for residents of
other European Community countries were abandoned with the
lift ing of trade barriers in 1993.
Facilities for camping, cycling, skiing, and mountaineering are
abundant. Football (soccer) is the favorite sport; Germany hosted
and won the World Cup competition in 1974, and was scheduled
to host in 2006. Tennis has become more popular since Boris
Becker won the Wimbledon Championship in 1985; German Steffi
Graf was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in
2004. Th e Olympic Games were held in Berlin in 1936, during the
Hitler years, and in Munich in 1972.
Approximately 16,357,037 tourists visited Germany in 2003,
almost 34% of whom came from Western Europe. Th ere were
892,302 hotel rooms with about 1.6 million beds and an occupancy
rate of 33%. Th e average length of stay was two nights. Tourism
receipts totaled $31.6 billion that year.
In 2005, the US Department of State estimated the daily expenses
in Munich at $350; in Cologne, $323; and in Berlin, $353.