Admittedly, Frankfurt might not immediately captivate tourists. Those who have to navigate long, unwelcoming corridors at the airport or slowly approach the city center through Mosel and Elbestraße from the train station probably won't fall in love with the city at first sight. Wicked tongues even argue that, in the eyes of certain foreign travelers, Frankfurt's most significant attraction is Heidelberg Castle.

But we, the people of Frankfurt, are well aware of the wonderful paradises our city has to offer – even for visitors. Whether it's the winding paths in Palmengarten, the fantastic exhibitions along the Museums at the banks of the river Main, the magnificent view from Lohrberg, or the lively Schiller and Konstabler markets. Therefore, it's disheartening to learn that in a survey conducted by the German National Tourist Board this summer, Frankfurt only managed to secure the 72nd position among the most popular destinations for foreign tourists in Germany, trailing far behind cities like Aachen, Bremen, Koblenz, or Goslar. At least Frankfurt is ahead of Offenbach, as the neighboring city didn't even make it into the top 100.

What's noteworthy about the tourist board's ranking is that the destinations one would expect to be at the top are found further down the list. Neuschwanstein Castle is at number 6, the Black Forest at 8, the Brandenburg Gate is only at 37, and the Loreley is at a modest 76. Instead, the top positions are dominated by amusement parks with roller coasters, replica western towns or pagodas, and plenty of fast food joints: Europa-Park Rust, Miniatur Wunderland Hamburg, and Phantasialand Brühl. No Dresden Zwinger, no Munich Frauenkirche, no Hamburg Elbphilharmonie – and not even Zugspitze or the Brocken, the highest peak in the Harz mountain range. Many overseas visitors seem to follow the old adage of gentlemen's circles: mountains from below, churches from the outside, pubs from the inside.

Unlike in Amsterdam, Barcelona, or Bruges, tourists don't stand out much in Frankfurt's cityscape. During a stroll on the Zeil or along the Main promenade, groups led by guides with yellow umbrellas raised in the air are quite scarce. A few exceptions include the Alte Oper fountain, the Euro sign opposite the theater Schauspiel, and the Bull and Bear statue at Börsenplatz. If you spend a longer period of time there, you're likely to unintentionally appear as an extra in American or Chinese travel videos. Otherwise, tourists are a marginal presence between Südbahnhof and Eschenheimer Turm.

Certainly, there are also travel statistics where Frankfurt ranks higher – namely, in the figures related to business travelers. The city on the Main can score more points here for two reasons – because of the airport and the trade fairs. And the latter are no longer just flagship exhibitions like the Book Fair or the ISH sanitary and heating technology trade fair, known colloquially in Frankfurt as the "Interklo" (which rougly translates to "Interloo"). There are also numerous smaller industry gatherings like InterWhisky, Christmasworld, or Hair Beauty.