In the first seven months of the year, German hotels and other accommodation facilities with more than ten beds recorded 280.5 million overnight stays, as the Federal Statistical Office reported. This marked a 1.9 percent increase compared to the same period last year.
While the number of overnight stays by domestic guests increased by 1.0 percent to 232.3 million, predominantly foreign tourists significantly contributed to the growth, with an increase of 6.6 percent, totaling 48.2 million overnight stays.
After the COVID-19 crisis, there was initially hesitancy among foreign guests to return. However, in July, the number of overnight stays by foreign guests increased by 4.5 percent to 10.7 million compared to July 2023.
In July, German guests stayed 46.8 million nights, slightly higher than last year's (+0.3 percent). In total, there were 57.5 million overnight stays, around 1.0 percent more than a year ago.
The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) reported that international sporting events like UEFA Euro 2024 have significantly increased the overnight stays.
In June, 40 European Football Championship matches led to the above-average results in all ten host cities, while eleven knockout round matches in July also attracted fans from participating countries to Germany. Analyses by MKG Consulting revealed that the hotel occupancy rate throughout Germany was 71.6 percent in July 2024, 2.3 percentage points higher than in July 2023.
At 108.80 euros per room and night, average revenues increased by 9.7 percent compared to the previous year. Occupancy in higher-star hotels grew more than in the economy segment.
According to the GNTB Travel Industry Expert Panel, about a quarter of the international tour operators doing business in Germany had added new travel offers specifically for the European Championships. Thirty-five percent reported high or very high demand for these products. The fans' expectations were met, as 97 percent of international ticket holders expressed a desire to return to Germany, and 79 percent would recommend a trip to the city where they attended an event, according to a study by Nielsen Sports.
According to the study, 44 percent of the UEFA Euro 2024 ticket holders came from abroad.
The study also confirms the economic impact: The European Football Championship generated direct, indirect, and induced effects totaling 7.44 billion euros. The advertising value through visibility in the media worldwide is estimated at 571 million euros.