IMAGO / Anadolu Agency
Thursday, February 19
For years, Berlin’s tourism industry was only increasing year by year. But now, it seems to have taken a turn downwards. For some, this is a bigger deal than others, with different outlets finding different interpretations from the numbers.
BZ claims “Tourists don’t like Berlin anymore” while Visit Berlin states “Berlin maintains its leading position in Europe”. Is Visit Berlin bias? Or is Berlin really facing a tourism downturn? Well, let’s look at the numbers.
In 2019, before COVID, Berlin saw almost 14 million overnight stays by almost 14 million guests. 2024 saw 30.6 million overnight stays by 12.7 million guests. Last year saw 29.4 million overnight stays by 12.4 million guests in Germany’s capital.
It does seem that the industry never truly recovered from the pandemic, and last year did face a downturn from 2024. However, the numbers are far from dire. After all, Berlin still has more overnight stays than Munich and Hamburg combined.
Berlin has 440,000 guests every day. In 2025, the USA was the largest foreign market with around 1.28 million overnight stays. In Europe, visitors come mostly from the United Kingdom, with 1.27 million overnight stays, followed by the Netherlands (786,400), Spain (711,500) and Italy (653,000).
The decline from last year to this year has been attributed to ongoing issues with Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) and its long-haul flight connectivity. Additionally, the reopening of alternative long-haul destinations across the globe has dispersed travellers.
There are plans from Berlin’s tourism officials to address this downturn, such as appealing to travellers to southern European cities, framing Berlin as a cooler and less overrun alternative. Visit Berlin says there is a focus on “managing tourism in a way that is compatible with the city [and] strengthening neighbourhoods, ensuring quality of life”.