Berlin, February 18 – The German capital, Berlin, failed to reach its target of 30 million overnight stays in 2025, recording a slight decline in tourist numbers compared to the previous year. According to figures released by the tourism agency Visit Berlin, 29.4 million overnight stays were registered from 12.4 million guests. This marks a decrease from 2024, when 30.6 million overnight stays and 12.7 million guests were counted.
Tourism Figures Lag Behind Pre-Pandemic Levels
The 2025 figures indicate that Berlin’s tourism sector is still struggling to recover to its record levels from 2019, the year before the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019, nearly 14 million tourists visited the capital, generating 34.12 million overnight stays in hotels and accommodation establishments.
Despite the setback, Burkhard Kieker, head of Visit Berlin, and Franziska Giffey (SPD), Senator for Economic Affairs, expressed optimism for the current year, 2026.
Giffey: Berlin Needs Attractions to Draw Visitors
Senator Giffey highlighted Berlin’s strong position in international tourism, noting that it ranks among the top five European cities. She acknowledged that Dublin surpasses Berlin in solo travelers, stating, “We will, of course, take a closer look at what they are doing better in Dublin than we are.”
Giffey emphasized the crucial role of trade fairs, congresses, and other major events in boosting Berlin’s tourism in the coming years. “We must have things that attract people,” she said, reiterating her support for a future Expo in the capital. She also pointed to the upcoming 800th anniversary of Berlin in 2037, stating, “That’s only nine years away. We need to start thinking now about what we want to showcase.”
Optimism for 2026 is fueled by two significant biennial trade fairs: the International Aerospace Exhibition (ILA) and the Innotrans rail and transport technology trade fair, both expected to draw large numbers of visitors.
International and National Comparisons
In a European comparison, Giffey stated that Berlin currently trails London and Paris but is ahead of Rome. She expressed a desire for Berlin to overtake Dublin in the solo traveler segment. While she refrained from setting precise medium or long-term targets for guest and overnight figures, Giffey stressed the importance of Berlin’s standing in international rankings, stating, “We measure ourselves against the most important cities in Europe.”
Looking at the origin of Berlin’s guests in 2025, over 17.3 million of the 29.4 million overnight stays (58.9 percent) were attributed to visitors from Germany. Following were guests from the USA (nearly 1.28 million overnight stays), Great Britain (1.27 million overnight stays), and the Netherlands (over 780,000 overnight stays).
Compared to 2024, numbers for all four of these countries decreased, with the Netherlands seeing a drop of over 15 percent. Conversely, significant increases were observed in overnight stays from Turkey (over 260,000, up 8.5 percent), China (almost 233,000, up 14.4 percent), and Israel (over 230,000, up 9.5 percent).
Nationally, Berlin remains the leading city for tourism, far ahead of Munich and Hamburg. Munich, in second place, recorded 19.7 million overnight stays, almost 10 million fewer than the capital. However, Hamburg and Munich have already surpassed their pre-2019 COVID-19 figures, with Hamburg’s tourism numbers rising in 2025 and Munich’s remaining largely stable. This suggests that factors like consumer restraint or global uncertainties alone cannot fully explain Berlin’s comparative slowdown.
Criticism Towards Federal Government and Lufthansa
When questioned about what Munich and Hamburg might have done better, Kieker retorted, “When you see that Munich isn’t growing further, I ask myself: ‘What are they doing wrong?'” He criticized Lufthansa for funneling passengers to Munich, stating, “Everything that Berlin lacks, Lufthansa shovels to Munich.” Currently, Lufthansa only operates flights from Berlin to its two hubs in Frankfurt and Munich, where long-haul flights originate.
Kieker pointed out that around 200 long-haul flights depart daily from Western Germany, compared to only four to five from Eastern Germany, all from Berlin-Brandenburg Airport. “This is how the new federal states are fobbed off – by a private, publicly listed company,” he said, referring to Lufthansa.
Senator Giffey echoed this sentiment, stating, “The federal government also has a responsibility here.” While Berlin has good rail connections, air travel still lags. She pledged to continue to “annoy” and push for improvements in connectivity, emphasizing that this is not just about the Berlin-Brandenburg metropolitan region but also Eastern Germany and Western Poland.
Source: HOGAPAGE, Visit Berlin, dpa
