August is one of the most important months for tourism in Bavaria. This year, too, the summer vacation month has contributed to further recovery of the sector, which has been hit by the pandemic. The experts at the Bavarian State Office of Statistics reported almost 3.6 million guest arrivals which is 13.0 percent higher than in August 2020. The tourism growth was further confirmed by the 11.3 million overnight stays (+14.9 percent compared to August 2020).
The number of domestic visitors exceeded the previous year's figure by 10.4 percent and is slightly lower than the result of 2019. The overnight stays not only cracked the 10 million mark (10.2 million, +13.5 percent), but also the pre-Corona results.
The increase in visitor numbers from abroad is also significant. 32.1 percent more international tourists came to Bavaria and stayed overnight 30.2 percent times more often than in the same month last year.
The tourism growth in August was reflected in the hotel sector as well, where 16.4 percent more guests were reported together with 18.9 percent more overnight stays. In particular, hotels (guest arrivals: +19.9 percent; overnight stays: +24.2 percent) and hotels garnis (guest arrivals: +20.1 percent; overnight stays: +19.0 percent) show significant increases compared to the same month last year. The inns (guest arrivals: +5.6 percent; overnight stays: +6.2 percent) and the guesthouses (guest arrivals: -1.6 percent; overnight stays: +3.8 percent), which are also counted as part of the hotel industry, reduce the growth somewhat, however. Also recording double-digit growth were recreation, vacation and training homes (guest arrivals: +21.9 percent; overnight stays: +30.3 percent) and youth hostels and mountain huts (guest arrivals: +18.3 percent; overnight stays: +26.7 percent).
All the Bavarian administrative districts and the two cities of Munich and Nuremberg, which are important for tourism, were above the level of the same month last year. This applies to both guest arrivals and overnight stays. Central Franconia recorded the largest increases among the administrative districts: 27.8 percent more guests arrived here in August 2021. Overnight stays exceed the same month last year by 27.0 percent. The state capital reported 43 percent more guest arrivals and 49.4 percent more overnight stays.
As positive as the tourism growth is in a monthly comparison, it is not yet possible to match the values from the same period of the previous year in the entire year to date in 2021. 24.7 percent fewer guest arrivals and 15.9 percent fewer overnight stays are reported for the period January to August 2021. All government districts are below the values of the comparison period with mostly double-digit negative rates of change, and the same applies to most types of establishments. Only the preventive and rehabilitation facilities and the campsites have so far exceeded the results of the same period last year.