"Ab ins B!": Senate promotes tourism away from Mitte

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  The St. Nicholas Church in the district of Spandau.

• View of the listed residential complex in the Siemensstadt housing estate designed by architect Hugo Häring.

• Exterior view of the Brücke Museum in the district of Steglitz-Zehlendorf.

• The Hastings TG 503 airlift aircraft stands in the open-air grounds of the Allied Museum in the Steglitz-Zehlendorf district.

Berlin's Economics Senator Stephan Schwarz wants to attract more tourists to parts of Berlin that are not in every travel guide.

"To this end, we are increasingly promoting tourism in the districts," said Schwarz on Tuesday after a senate meeting at which the topic was discussed. Since 2022, all districts have received more funds for their own and joint tourism projects. Last year, 1.5 million euros were requested for 65 projects, Schwarz explained.

Over 250 events until April 10

In Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf and Mitte, for example, an augmented reality tour is being created with additional digital information about Jewish life in the districts. In Pankow, there is a digital map for local crafts, craft shops and manufactories. "And there is something very nice, cross-district: "Ab ins B!", said Schwarz. The project with more than 250 events is to start on March 25 and end on April 10.

Offers off the beaten track

The action weeks with the participation of art, cultural and educational institutions in the districts in tariff zone B are about offers off the beaten track, said Schwarz. "You can discover a completely different side of Berlin here again." Migratory bird watching in the Britzer Garten in Neukölln is just as much a part of it as surfing in Lichtenberg, brewing beer in Tempelhof-Schöneberg, cooking wild herbs in Spandau or kayaking in Treptow-Köpenick.

Tourism industry developing well

The tourism industry has developed well again after the restrictions caused by the Corona pandemic, said the Senator for Economic Affairs. "We had a total of 10.4 million guests in the city in 2022. The number of overnight stays was around 26.5 million," Schwarz said. "Berlin still plays in the league of the most popular city travel destinations in tourism together with London, Paris, New York," Schwarz said. "I also expect this positive development to continue."

More to discover for tourists

From the point of view of the economic administration, promoting projects away from the TV Tower and the Brandenburg Gate is sensible for all sides: the industry, the districts and also for the tourists, who will then be more spread out across the city and less likely to stand in the same old queues.