'Poor, sexy Berlin' bucks the trend, ropes in tourists

"Berlin is poor, but sexy," runs the German capital's advertising slogan, a catchphrase that appears to be working as Berlin bucks the trend in the crisis-hit global tourist industry.

Playing on its reputation as a cheap, yet cool, destination for holidaymakers, Berlin lured 7.9 million tourists in 2008, breaking its own record for the fifth consecutive year with a gain of 4.2 percent from 2007.

Tourist numbers have soared since the early 1990s when a mere three million visited the city.