Berlin attracted the most tourist arrivals in Germany in 2023, which is perhaps to be expected. But the country has other city destinations with a lot to offer as well. Among them Hamburg in the north with the largest port in Germany and Munich, the capital of Bavaria, in the south. All three cities also have busy airports and railways. The top three Berlin recorded a significant drop in travel accommodation numbers in 2020, the year the COVID-19 pandemic began. Figures began to pick up again later, with *** establishments open in 2024, though this was still less than in previous years. The numbers may also have to do with competition from such accommodation platforms as Airbnb. Hamburg is also catching up after the pandemic in terms of tourism, with noticeably more travel arrivals recorded recently. While 2021 saw around *** million arrivals, there were already roughly *** million in 2023. Meanwhile, the average occupancy rate in Munich travel accommodation was also noticeably higher in 2022 than in previous years, with an almost ** percent total. City tourism As of 2023, around **** million people in Germany preferred city trips as a vacation. Numbers decreased somewhat in recent years. Various factors contribute to making a city attractive for tourists, among them mobility options, the ease of getting around, and spending time outside. In 2022, Germany’s largest cities were evaluated in terms of walking and cycling space availability. Munich scored highest at ** percent, followed by Cologne with ** percent and Hamburg with ** percent. That same year, these cities were also evaluated in terms of traffic safety for pedestrians and cyclists. This time, Hamburg came first at ** percent, and Berlin followed with ** percent.

Dutch tourists spent the most nights in Germany, with around **** million overnight stays recorded in 2023. This means that by far the most overnight stays by foreign guests were made by guests from the Netherlands. Switzerland and the U.S. rounded up the top three incoming tourism countries in this ranking. Overnight success The number of overnight stays in German travel accommodation has been growing in general, with the exception of the coronavirus (COVID-19) years of 2020 and 2021. Increasing numbers may be attributed, among other reasons, to the wide choice of overnight establishments available and transparent booking methods. Numerous German cities are popular destinations among European and international tourists stopping for more than a day. The majority of international tourists coming to Germany preferred to stay in hotels. Tourism in German states Germany has 16 federal states, each with something different to offer, with distinctive tourist attractions and local customs. Statistics show varying figures for overnight stays by state. As of 2023, around **** percent of overnight stays in tourist accommodation were in Bavaria, the country's southernmost state, a popular vacation region both domestically and internationally. However, by far the largest share of ** percent of overnight stays were in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, which is popular for vacation stays at the North Sea.

This statistic shows the distribution of bed occupancy in travel accommodation in Germany in 2023, by state. That year, the average bed occupancy rate in Hamburg was 51 percent.

German travel accommodation is picking up where it left off before the COVID-19 lockdowns. Around 496.1 million overnight stays were recorded in 2024, which exceeded the figure recorded in 2019. This renews hope for the future development of overnight tourism as far as travel accommodation in Germany is concerned. Where to stay The first choice of accommodation for visitors coming to Germany is still hotels. In 2023, both domestic and foreign guests favored a hotel stay far ahead of other establishments, with close to 149 million Germans alone staying there. Germany does offer a wide variety of travel accommodation besides hotels. These include B&Bs, campgrounds, youth hostels, various recreation and vacation homes, as well as apartments available for short-term rent. The latter are proving to be a source of competition for serviced accommodation such as hotels due to the larger degree of independence an apartment may offer by definition. Additionally, these apartments or houses rented for a vacation provide more flexibility with kitchen facilities and therefore more financial options when budgeting for a trip. Online home rental platforms such as Airbnb are a leading source. Where to go The majority of international tourists coming to Germany preferred large cities for their overnight stays, as of 2022. These had a population of over 100,000. Particularly for those visiting the country for the first time, especially if they don’t speak the language, cities may prove a more attractive choice to get to know parts of Germany due to the increasingly international atmosphere in urban areas, being able to get around speaking English and convenient transport networks for expanding the trip to other German regions. The largest German cities were also favorably ranked in terms of traffic safety when walking and cycling. So, whether just one overnight stay or several, a lot of factors go into planning a trip besides choosing where to sleep.

Germany ranked as Crete’s biggest travel market in 2024, with the Greek island recording almost 1.6 million visits from German travelers. That year, the United Kingdom and France followed in the ranking, with 871,000 and 630,000 visits, respectively. What are the most visited travel destinations in Greece? In 2024, Crete, the largest Greek island, was the fourth most popular destination for international travelers in Greece. That year, Attica, the region that includes the city of Athens, ranked as the most visited Greek region, with almost nine million visits by inbound travelers. Travel and tourism in the Greek islands The Greek islands are an important driver of tourism for the Mediterranean country. In 2024, destinations such as Rhodes and Kos attracted roughly three million and over one million inbound travelers, respectively, as the number of international air arrivals to the South Aegean islands reached its highest figure to date. Looking at the inbound air arrivals on the Ionian Islands shows that other popular Greek destinations, like Corfu and Zante, also experienced the same trend, with inbound arrivals reaching an all-time high in 2024.

In 2024, the United States was the leading inbound travel market in Milan based on the number of tourist arrivals. That year, Milan's travel accommodation establishments reported around ******* arrivals from the United States. France and Germany followed in the ranking in 2024, with roughly ******* and ******* arrivals, respectively.

In 2023, Russia was the leading inbound travel market for Turkey based on the volume of tourist arrivals, reaching over *** million visitors. Germany and the United Kingdom followed on the list, with approximately *** and *** million arrivals, respectively. One of the most popular destinations in Europe With hundreds of beaches, mountains, nature, and historical sites in various cities, Turkey has plenty of activities to offer to tourists. Consequently, the country attracts millions of visitors every year. In 2023, following Italy, Turkey ranked fourth among the most popular destinations in Europe, having welcomed over ** million travelers. That year, Turkey’s inbound tourism receipts amounted to **** billion U.S. dollars, which placed the country fifth among other European destinations. Inbound tourism in Turkey The country saw a sharp decrease in the number of inbound tourist arrivals in 2020 and 2021 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. However, from 2022 onwards, the figures caught up with the pre-pandemic levels. In 2023, over ** million international tourists visited Turkey, which was the peak value recorded since 2000. In the same year, the vast majority of foreign travelers arrived in Turkey with the purpose of travel, entertainment, sport, or cultural activities. Furthermore, about *** million foreigners visited their relatives and friends in Turkey.

In 2017 and 2018, the largest share of international tourists that visited Utrecht came from Germany. In total, ** percent of the inbound visitors that visited the fourth largest city in the Netherlands were German, whereas just over *** percent of the tourists came from Belgium. Nine percent of the visitors were from the United States, the only country in the ranking outside of Europe.

The number of inbound visits in Greece grew significantly in 2024 over the previous year, exceeding pre-pandemic levels. In 2024, the Attica region, which includes the city of Athens, recorded the most inbound visits, at roughly *** million. Southern Aegean, Central Macedonia, and Crete followed in the ranking that year. What are the leading inbound travel markets in Greece? In 2024, Germany was the leading inbound tourist market in Greece, with over **** million arrivals in the country. The United Kingdom reported the second-highest figure that year, with approximately *** million arrivals. Overall, the total number of international travelers in Greece peaked at over ** million in 2024. How many Greek tourists travel abroad? The number of outbound travelers from Greece grew by ***** percent in 2024 over the previous year, totaling almost *** million. Despite the annual increase, the volume of outbound travelers remained below pre-pandemic levels.