Archive for the ‘Economy’ Category

It seems that exports from our wonderful and business-minded country have created a lot of consumer spending and spurred much hiring. This is a promising outlook for the future of Germany’s economy.

Per reports, the economy of this country is expected to grow 2% this coming year and it is predicted to even reach 1.5% in 2012. Goals of large corporations are being met and beat, meaning even they can’t fully predict what growth Germany will really attain.

Of course, we Germans are enraptured with the predictions. It simply validates our good sense and determination to succeed. Certainly it has sparked incredible consumer confidence, thus spending.

Last year, unemployment dropped by a huge margin. This is happy news for all of those who have been out of work and struggling to make ends meet.

Elsewhere in Europe, prospects are not as great. But this simply means that the outlook for Germany remains good. We become the country to turn to for excellent service, fair prices and quality goods. :-)

The president of one of Germany’s leading think tanks has also predicted a golden age. He had a view when he wrote his book, “Can Germany Be Saved?” which was one of pessimistic outcomes — but he has changed his views. He believes it has now been saved.

This is likely true. The German people are enjoying a strong economy and don’t intend to let it slip. They see it in life each day as shoppers turn out to buy their goods, employees work hard at their jobs and factories produce high quality goods.

Although in 2008-2009 output was cut as the threat of a depression loomed, Germany’s factories have made a comeback, and are enjoying a prosperous 2010 and 2011.

One of Audi’s executives has commented that 2010 was their best year ever. So the faith that good times are returning is strong and stable. And it seems it is wide spread through all areas of the country.

The reasons Germany’s economic structure prospers have been under investigation from a number of sectors, and no one can agree on a common factor. Speculation runs high. However, it should seem obvious that Germany should carry on doing what it’s doing to maintain its forward push toward prosperity.

—Marcus

As the capital city of Germany, Berlin has had its run of airports. The newest is called Berlin Brandenburg International (airport code BBI or BER) a.k.a. Willi Brandt Airport, and is scheduled to open in the latter half of 2012. That is, only if officials have their way. Construction is still underway, despite some protests from local Berliners who are upset over the flight paths.

City officials hope to stream all of their passengers into this one mega-airport. Right now, Berlin’s air traffic is divided up between Berlin-Tegel Airport in the northwest and Berlin-Schönefeld Airport in the south.

Because of the long history of these two airports, their size is limited. For the last few years, they’ve been at a breaking point, bursting with passengers and they can not be expanded any further. The obvious solution is to either build a new one or expand an existing one that can accommodate all of those people visiting this vibrant metropolis.

Now, Berlin decided to expand its existing Berlin-Schönefeld Airport and rebrand it to the new Berlin Brandenburg International Airport. Once this new super-sized airport comes into the picture, the plan is to phase out the older airport of Tegel. A third airport, the historic Tempelhof, was closed in 2008 already.

Berlin-Tempelhof Airport was once among the twenty largest buildings on earth. Orville Wright, the father of flight, made one of his first flying demonstrations here and the airport also played a vital role in the Allied-led Berlin Airlift at the beginning of the Cold War.

One of the most notable features of Tempelhof was its canopy-roof, which let passengers disembark in heavy rains without getting wet, and was certainly much-beloved by grateful visitors. The entire complex was built to look like an eagle in flight. The hangars, semi-circle in shape, represented the spread wings.

Tegel has its own long and interesting histories, which will regrettably come to a close. Before we say good-bye to it, let’s remember its best moments. :-)

Berlin-Tegel is known for its hexagon-shaped building. This unique shape allows for some of the shortest flight connections you can imagine. Some airport access walkways are just thirty meters (ninety-eight feet). Passengers, which numbered over fourteen million in 2008, will certainly miss the convenience! But Tegel wasn’t always such a well-traveled place.

The delicate political situation of the Cold War meant that it was, at one time, a highly-restricted airport. Only holders of American, British or French passports were allowed to serve as flight crew (i.e., pilots, navigators, etc.) and only Allied airlines could fly in and out of it.

Berlin-Schönefeld was once the only airport serving the Communist East Berlin. It is also notable for its great pride in being a “green” airport. During its construction, the crews went out of their way to protect ancient oak trees, and even relocated bats and amphibians whose habitats were in or around the airport.

So while these airports will be missed, the future is always an exciting place. Visitors to Berlin in the coming years — expected to be over 25 million! — can look forward to a new, cutting-edge airport that will soon create its own interesting history.

—Marcus

If you follow the world economic news at all, you know that Germany is caught up in a tangle of European finance. German’s own economy may not always shine, but it is relatively stable. However, not all of our neighbors are doing as well!

As a result of our stability, many people around the world look to Germany for financial help in times of stress. Whether this is eastern European banks looking for help due to mortgage backed securities issues or Greece looking for help with its debt, Germany gets the call. German leaders offer advice, make speeches, and sometimes commit to large bailout programs along with other European nations.

What is this doing to the Germany economy?

In many ways, the average person doesn’t see a lot of change in the street. On a broader level, however, Germany’s economic fate is linked to that of the European Union. Thus, you can look at the euro for a gauge of price trends in Germany.

Looking at the last few months of euro trading, you can see that the economic stress across the European Union has been putting significant downward pressure on the euro. This makes it more expensive for Germans traveling outside the euro zone (as I’ve discovered at airport currency exchange stations), and also makes some imported goods more expensive for local shoppers.

On the other hand, this downward pressure on the euro makes it easier than ever for you to visit Germany. As currencies like the dollar, pound, and yuan appreciate against the euro, the real cost of hotel stays, train tickets, and nice dinners goes down for visitors like you.

Thus, if you are thinking about taking a trip to Germany, you may want to think about doing it soon! The euro has been through a lot of up and down cycles over its lifetime, and who knows what will happen next?

Take advantage of the current dip in the value of the euro to enjoy a Germany that is both beautiful and more affordable than ever. :-)

—Marcus