Foreign tourists have voted Neuschwanstein Castle the best place to visit in Germany. Number two on the list is Europa-Park, followed at number three by Cologne Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) carried out the poll - the second of its kind - to find out which of Germany's many sights and places of interest were the most popular among foreign tourists. Between 1 July 2012 and the end of March 2013, visitors were able to vote for their 'top sights' at www.germany.travel/top100. This produced a list of 700 tourist highlights, which were then ranked according to popularity. The survey, which was available in 26 languages, registered more than 46,000 clicks.

Destination Germany is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe and is, according to IPK International 2013, the number one cultural travel destination for Europeans. It was ranked fifth out of 50 nations worldwide as a cultural destination in the Anholt-GfK Roper Nation Brands Index. Prominent among Germany's many cultural treasures are the 37 natural and cultural heritage sites that have been recognised by UNESCO. In 2014 the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) will be putting Germany's UNESCO World Heritage sites at the centre of its global marketing activities under the banner 'UNESCO World Heritage – sustainable cultural and natural tourism'.

A strong year for international travel by Europeans: according to the World Travel Monitor (WTM) and IPK International, in 2012, Europeans made more than 420 million trips to other countries. Nearly 85 per cent (355 million) of those were within Europe. This means that Europe maintains its prominent position as the largest source and destination market in international tourism.

Social media @GTM www.germany.travel/ gtmlive: The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) will be communicating from the 39th GTM Germany Travel Mart™ in Stuttgart via a range of social media channels – with live updates leading up to and during the most important inbound tourism workshop for Destination Germany. This includes platforms such as Twitter, Foursquare and Storify, among others. The GNTB is using these channels to disseminate information on the seminars, the workshop, network events and on the international press conference at the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart.

The 39th Germany Travel Mart™, the largest marketplace for inbound tourism in Germany, is being hosted in Stuttgart from 5 to 7 May 2013. The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) is staging this year's event in collaboration with Stuttgart-Marketing GmbH and Regio Stuttgart Marketing- und Tourismus GmbH. "The GTM is Destination Germany's most important B2B platform," explains Petra Hedorfer, Chief Executive Officer of the GNTB. "It is a high-calibre forum where German suppliers can come together with key account managers from all over the world to find the best ways of marketing Germany as a travel destination." This year, the GNTB will again be using social media channels such as Twitter, Foursquare and Storify to ensure that the event reaches the widest possible audience.

The 39th annual Germany Travel Mart™ (GTM), the biggest incoming tourism workshop for Germany, will take place in Stuttgart from the 5th until the 7th of May 2013. The event is being organised by the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) in partnership with Stuttgart-Marketing GmbH and Regio Stuttgart Marketing and Tourismus GmbH, who will welcome more than 620 international buyers and journalists from 38 countries, and over 350 German providers, to get the latest news and trends about the country’s incoming tourism industry.

The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) has received the 2013 Innovation Award at the ITB in Berlin by the international A&O HOTELS and HOSTELS group for their latest social media campaign entitled 'Youth HotSpots in Germany – Share the Moment'.

This year marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Richard Wagner, one of Germany's most famous composers and music dramatists whose works include ‘The Ring of the Nibelung‘ and ‘The Valkyrie‘.

The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) in Germany has welcomed their new Destination Manager, Ulrike Eva Beck, for the Asia/Australia market.

Germany ended 2012 with 68.8 Million overnight stays by visitors from abroad. A growth of 8 per cent in comparison with the previous year. "According to a recent study by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the rise in inbound travel to Germany again far exceeded the growth at global and European level in 2012," emphasised Petra Hedorfer, Chief Executive Officer of the German National Tourist Board (GNTB).