Mayor of Berlin and the German Consul General Hold Holiday Reception for SF Travel Media, Gay and Lesbian Leadership Conference

Dozens of travel journalists and LGBT activists met with Klaus Wowereit, the Governing Mayor of Berlin, and Peter Rothen, the German Consul General over some Gluehwein and Kartoffelkloesse at the Berlin reception in the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany on Jackson Street in San Francisco on Friday.

Mayor Wowereit held a press-conference before the reception to answer questions about new tourist trends in the city of Berlin, and particularly gay and lesbian travel. “San Francisco and Berlin are similar – both are very open,” said the Mayor. “In Berlin, being openly gay is not a problem.” However, as New York and San Francisco are different comparing to the rest of America, so is Berlin comparing to the rest of Germany. Mr. Wowereit said it was important for him to supervise human rights and continue fighting against all kinds of discrimination in the society, and to change rules and laws in the public sector to grant equal rights to the minorities. “Homophobia is not a real danger today,” he said, answering a question about safety in travel. “But we have to be careful, to fight it everywhere.”

Speaking at the reception, the Mayor presented Berlin as a star tourist destination, on par with Paris and London – a world capital, returning to its cosmopolitan glory of the 1920s. Emerging from its dismal WWII past and the following division into hostile zones by the Berlin Wall, for a long time the city was reduced to non-existence on tourist maps of world travelers. Now, 20 years after the dismantling of the Wall, Berlin comes back to full life, brimming with cultural diversity and abundance of attractions and activities.

More than 170 museums (many holding world-class collections); eight major symphony orchestras, including Berlin Philharmonic; three opera houses, and abundance of cabarets, nightclubs, and comedy theatres are sure to keep visitors entertained. Add to it affordable high-end hotels, a bustling restaurant scene, and endless shopping opportunities for top-notch designer labels, and it becomes clear that there is no reason to delay one’s trip to the biggest city of Germany. More information at visitBerlin.de. Photography by Yuri Krasov.