Tourism in Germany has recovered after the pandemic years. In April, the number of overnight stays almost reached the pre-crisis level. This is mainly due to Germans who go on vacation in their own country.
The accommodation establishments booked around 40.2 million overnight stays in April. That was only 0.2 percent less than in April 2019, before the outbreak of the corona pandemic, which hit the industry for around three years. Compared to April 2022, the new figures mean an increase of 12.4 percent, as the statisticians said.
Germans like to travel to Germany
Domestic tourism in particular was able to recover from the crisis. This means that Germans in particular are increasingly holidaying in their own country again. The number of overnight stays by domestic guests in April increased by 9.9 percent year-on-year and by 2.6 percent compared to the pre-crisis period.
The number of guests from abroad increased by 28.5 percent compared to the same month last year. However, it was still 13.2 percent below the pre-crisis level.
The authority evaluated information from hotels, inns, guesthouses and holiday accommodation, but also campsites with at least ten beds or ten parking spaces.
industry mood greatly improved
The mood in the German tourism industry has recently brightened accordingly. The German National Tourist Board (DZT), which markets Germany as a travel destination on behalf of the federal government, assumes that the industry will continue to grow. According to a recent survey, business sentiment rose to its highest level in more than a year in the first quarter of 2023, from a low in the last quarter of last year.
Tourism in Germany is likely to continue to be driven primarily by the Germans. According to a tourism analysis by the BAT Foundation for Future Questions, 28 percent of Germans are planning a holiday trip in their own country this year. The travel regions in Bavaria, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Lower Saxony are preferred. On the other hand, 41 percent of those surveyed want to relax in other European countries, and 16 percent are planning a long-distance trip.
Destination number four in Europe
But Germany is also still popular as a travel destination among Europeans. According to an expert survey by the GNTB, Germany ranks fourth among the most popular travel destinations for Europeans, after France, Italy and Spain.