During August, a popular vacation time, the number of visitors and overnight stays in Bavaria decreased compared to the previous year. Approximately 4.1 million tourists, which is 2.6 percent less than last year, stayed in one of the 11,580 accommodation establishments available in Bavaria. This resulted in just under 11.7 million overnight stays, which is 3.7 percent less than the same period last year.
However, from January to August 2023, visitor arrivals have increased continuously compared to the same period in the previous year. By the end of the year, the number of tourists visiting Bavaria is expected to increase by 16.9 percent to around 26.1 million. In comparison, overnight stays are expected to rise by 10.9 percent to approximately 68.2 million.
In August, guest arrivals and overnight stays in most parts of Bavaria were lower than the same period the previous year. This was across various types of establishments, except vacation centers, houses, and apartments, which experienced a 7.7% increase in guest arrivals and a 2.4% increase in overnight stays. Regarding health tourism, the preventive and rehabilitation clinics observed a decrease of 3.7% in guest arrivals but an increase of 7.9% in overnight stays compared to August 2022.
From January to August 2023, all types of establishments recorded a rise in guest arrivals and overnight stays compared to last year. Recreation, vacation, and training homes registered the highest increase of 26.7% in guest arrivals and 19.9% in overnight stays.
January and February were the strongest months in the first half of 2023, with January observing a 70.8% increase in guest arrivals and a 153.6% increase in overnight stays and February recording a 51.4% rise in guest arrivals and a 90.9% increase in overnight stays.
Low numbers for administrative districts
Most Bavarian administrative districts in August 2023 have lower figures than the same month last year, just like the types of establishments. Only Swabia (+0.2%) reported a slight increase in guest arrivals compared to August 2022. Meanwhile, the state capital of Munich (+1.9%) also had higher values than the same month last year. The other administrative districts have small declines ranging from -0.7% in the Upper Palatinate to -4.8% in Central Franconia regarding guest arrivals.
Despite the declining figures for August, the figures for all administrative districts and the state capital, Munich, continue to rise over the cumulative annual period, similar to establishment types. Upper Bavaria leads the list with +20.9% more guest arrivals (overnight stays: +13.3%). Swabia recorded the smallest increases (guest arrivals: +10.9%; overnight stays: +5.3%).