German tourism officials are hoping this year's World Cup football tournament will kick off a boom in the number of Chinese visitors to the capital of Berlin.

"We hope Chinese tourists will choose to come to Berlin after seeing the sights in the coverage of the World Cup," said Li Zhaohui, China representative of German Magic City Association under the German Tourist Board.

In 2005, Berlin was the most popular city destination in Germany and was the third most popular in Europe after London and Paris.

In the first quarter of this year, 39,000 Chinese visited Berlin, up 7.3 percent from the same period last year. They spent a total of 9,292 nights in city's hotels.

Due to simplified visa procedures, Germany has become a favorite nation in Europe for Chinese tourists.

Source: Xinhua