Federal Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle will be a guest speaker at the 15th tourism summit of the Federal Association of the German Tourism Industry (Bundesverband der Deutschen Tourismuswirtschaft – BTW) tomorrow (18 October, 10.30 h)

Background:

The Federal Foreign Office plays an important role in outbound tourism: with its travel and security advice, it provides citizens with important guidance for their travel planning. For millions of German tourists and German citizens living in foreign countries, the more than 220 missions abroad are also the most important link to Germany in many areas. In emergencies they provide comprehensive consular assistance for German tourists abroad. To do so, the Federal Foreign Office works closely with the representatives of the German tourism industry in many spheres.

With an annual turnover of 150 billion euro and 2.8 million employees, the German tourism industry accounts for over eight per cent of GDP. The Federal Foreign Office and the German missions abroad serve the German tourism industry in many ways.