World cup boosts German business
Hotels - 15/09/2006 12:54:24
Hotels in Germany recorded a massive boost to the industry from fans visiting the country during the World up, it has been reported.
Statistics show that hotels and catering firms both had a major increase in sales over the summer thanks to the sudden influx of thousands of football fans into the country.
Federal Statistics Office figures show that turnover was up 2.1 per cent across the industry in June and July to €43 billion (£29 billion), a welcome boost for the sector which has seen business slowly decline over the past five years.
Accor, which owns 380 German hotels, told the BBC that all their expectations for a boost in sales had been "surpassed".
Now, the hotel and caterers association DEHOGA is hoping to make an even bigger profit from business conferences and meetings which were postponed due to the tournament.
Up to the end of July, German cafes and cafeterias saw a sales increase of 3.6 per cent but restaurants saw a fall of 1.8 per cent. The rise in sales for hotels in the country was 2.6 per cent over the same period.
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