Berlin is worth the (business) trip. Just like London or Moscow. These three cities are the “winners” on the list of German, European and international destinations for business travelers from Germany. AirPlus Deutschland’s current statistics on the top 5 travel destinations in 2008, however, show that these metropolises have maintained their first place on the winner’s podium in some instances by only a hair’s-breadth.  The list of most-visited cities in Germany has the Bavarian capital Munich, with 19.37%, just a whisker behind the federal capital city of Berlin, with 19.42%. Hamburg is in third place with around 12%, followed by Dusseldorf, Cologne and Frankfurt.

The table of the most-visited European destinations has London at the top (almost 9.5%), then Vienna and Paris (each around 8%). After that come Zurich and Milan.

The most-visited international cities for German business travelers are, after Moscow (9%), Shanghai (5%) and New York (4.5%). Tokyo and Beijing follow with around 4 percent. A dramatic decline in economic pull was shown for cities such as Bombay, Budapest and Dubai: according to a study by the VDR (the German Business Travel Association), just two years ago these cities were tipped by German travel managers to be those that would gain the most importance in international comparisons.