Berlin’s tourism sector is nearing a full recovery after the pandemic

According to the Visitor Insight market research tool, hotels in Berlin were more filled than those in New York or Paris

Last week, Berlin authorities published data on the tourism sector in 2022, claiming that this year it has nearly made a full recovery since the pandemic. In the first seven months of this year, the German capital saw just 7.3% fewer overall visitors, but more domestic tourists than in the same period in 2019.

Also, in 2022 there were a whopping 270% more people visiting the city than in 2021. Hotel occupancy is also quite high, as market analysis claims more visitors stayed in Berlin hotels compared to those in Paris and New York.

Local tourism at a glance

After a severe slump during the Covid pandemic in the last two years, the tourism industry in Berlin is picking up speed once again and has almost recovered to 2019 levels. According to a statement by the city, the number of overnight stays has increased significantly and so has the time people spend in the German capital.

From the start of 2022 until the end of July, there were only 7.3% fewer visitors compared to the same period in 2019. This translates to around 5.5 million people, while July was the strongest month in the period.

At the same time, however, domestic visitors increased by around 9.4% compared to pre-pandemic times. The hotel occupancy, meanwhile, is at around 80.4%, according to the Visitor Insight market research tool, while officials report that audiences at museums and cultural events have returned to their pre-Covid levels.

The importance of the tourism sector 

Tourism is a big driver of the economy in Berlin, as estimated by the consulting company, DIW Econ, which put tourism revenue in 2019 at around 16.9 billion euros. For comparison, in 2020 it was around 8 billion, a reduction of 53%.

This sharp dip put the whole sector at risk and prompted the local government to launch the Neustart Wirtschaft (Restart Economy) plan, investing 140 million euros in the tourism and cultural sector.

Stephan Schwarz, Berlin’s Senator for Economics, was quoted in a press statement saying: "The comeback of Berlin's tourism and event industry is really impressive. The numbers show that Neustart Wirtschaft was a success. It was a targeted approach we developed with the sectors and with visitBerlin and it remains important in light of the current crises. We will continue our measures in the coming months and will continue to pull together so that Berlin's economy gets through these turbulent times well."