US President Barack Obama in Saxony, Germany!

The American President Barack Obama will visit Saxony's capital Dresden today and tomorrow. While political talks with chancellor Angela Merkel are also on the agenda, President Obama will mainly be introduced to the cultural highlights of the city such as the world-famous Green Vault treasury museum, one of the 11 museums of the Dresden State Art Collections. This makes him the most important American who has come to visit Germany's No. 1 cultural destination, Saxony. But President Obama is only the most recent addition to a long line of visitors from the United States who have come to Saxony since German reunification.

>> Read more about Saxony - Hidden treasure of Germany

America is the No. 1 foreign source market for Saxony now. Between 1992 and 2008, the number of American tourists who stayed at least one night in Saxony has quadrupled to almost 70,000 with the sharpest increase having taken place over the last six years from 34,400 to 68,559 guests. Visitors from the US particularly value the overabundance of cultural offerings, the magnificent architecture and the traces of an uninterrupted history of 1100 years. While Dresden and Leipzig are focal points of their visits, the beauty of smaller towns like Görlitz and Torgau has made them extend their stay over the years. The average stay of American tourists is as long as the average stay of visitors from Germany now. The Tourism Marketing Company of Saxony recognized the potential of the American market very early. Shortly after it took over the tourism marketing for Saxony in the year 2000, an American representation, Saxony Tourism USA, was appointed based in Portland, Oregon to complement the activities done in co-operation with the German National Tourist Board in New York.

Marketing activities are directed at the tourism industry to which intensive contacts have been established. Important niche markets such as the travel sector of non-profit organizations like museums, operas, universities, alumnis and churches were successfully tapped.