Bielefeld sets new record for number of visitors

The amount of people visiting the German city of Bielefeld has increased substantially over the past years

Authorities in the German city of Bielefeld have revealed some figures about the local tourist industry – and they’re looking more than promising.

The number of people who have chosen Bielefeld as their preferred for a visit has risen for a 5^th consecutive year, reaching new heights in terms of total numbers of visitors, overnight stays and other similar measurements.

Bielefeld’s year of tourist success in numbers

Figures published by Bielefeld’s official marketing department unveil the scope of the Bielefeld’s rise in the rankings in terms of visits. In 2019, the city set for itself numerous records including:

• A record number of total visitors – 384,774, an increase of 2.2% compared to 2018’s 376,401 arrivals and an increase of 26% compared to the 2015 figures (305,973).
• A drastic increase in the number of overnight stays – travellers stayed in Bielefeld for a total of 694,158 nights over the course of 2019. That constitutes a 2.1% increase compared to the 2018 figures but doesn’t quite match the 2017 record of 705,245. The figure still remains impressive and is the 2^nd best number in Bielefeld’s history.

Some 17% of visitors come from foreign countries – most of them coming from the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Poland. Most of the visits, however, have not been touristic in nature. Rather, some 80% of them have been made by individuals travelling for work and doing business.

Bielefeld has had great development as a visitor target in recent years. The engine for the upward trend remains the strong local economy because around 80 per cent of all overnight stays in the city are booked by business travellers, ” says Martin Knabenreich, Managing Director of Bielefeld Marketing.

Another factor contributing to the record number of visitors to the city is the fact that Bielefeld was the host of many political and business events during 2019. Over the course of said events, the city was full to the brim with visitors, completely exhausting the capacity of the local hotel chains.