Tourism in Munich

Tourism in Munich continued to grow last year: 8.8 million arrivals (+5.9 percent) and 18.3 million overnight stays (+6.8 percent) were registered in Munich's commercial accommodation facilities that comprise ten or more beds.

With an increase of 8.6 per cent in overnight stays (9.5 million), the domestic market showed a particularly strong upward trend last year. Overnight stays by international guests grew by 5 per cent to reach 8.8 million.

"The steady growth of tourism in Munich demands that tourism be managed in a sustainable manner. After all, one of the success factors of our destination is the typical Munich hospitality."

Almost half of all overnight stays were generated by guests from abroad. This makes Munich the go-to tourist destination in Germany with the highest percentage of overnight stays compared to the nation’s other major cities.

The willingness to invest in the hotel industry remains very high in Munich. Last year, a total of twenty new hotels with more than 8,000 beds opened in the city zone alone. At the end of 2019 there were a total of 470 commercial establishments with almost 88,000 beds in Munich. Despite the increase in capacity, room occupancy rates remained stable at 75 percent as did room prices.

The head of München Tourismus, Geraldine Knudson, sees the current figures as something of a challenge: “Munich is a magnet for guests from all over the world. The steady growth of tourism in Munich demands that tourism be managed in a sustainable way. After all, one key success factor with our destination is Munich’s typical hospitality.

Addressing the desired target groups in a precise manner is, without doubt, the right way forward. We have, therefore, repeatedly placed our "Kulturherbst" and "Licht" campaigns in the umbrella markets of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. They create travel incentives in the off-season and thus distribute tourism flows more evenly throughout the year. With these campaigns, we have succeeded in drawing the attention of potential guests to the culture, creativity and innovative power our city has to offer”.

The expert for employment and business, Clemens Baumgärtner, emphasises the following: “The tourism sector is an important factor in Munich as a business location. In 2019, tourism-related turnover amounted to EUR 8.6 billion. In future, the team from München Tourismus will continue to work closely with the tourism industry to position the city – with all its facets – as a high-quality destination for visitors from all over the world”.

Domestic and DACH markets

The number of overnight stays from Germany rose to 9.5 million (+8.6 per cent) in 2019. Switzerland recorded 474,000 overnight stays (+3.9 per cent) and Austria 464,000 overnight stays (+5.6 per cent).

A total of 10.4 million overnight stays were registered from the DACH markets (Germany, Switzerland, Austria) or +8.2 per cent. With a share of roughly 57 per cent of total overnight stays, these key markets are particularly important for Munich as a destination.

Europe (without the DACH region)

In 2019, the foreign European markets generated a plus of 8.2 per cent with a total of 4 million overnight stays. Italy recorded 613,000 overnight stays (+5 per cent), Great Britain 586,000 overnight stays (-0.4 per cent), followed by Russia with 437,000 overnight stays (+15.1 per cent), Spain with 353,000 overnight stays (+1.2 per cent), France with 265,000 overnight stays (+5.2 per cent) and the Netherlands with 230,000 overnight stays (+7.5 per cent).

Asia

Asian markets recorded a slight decline of 0.5 per cent to 1.9 million overnight stays last year. With 528,000 overnight stays, guests from the Arab Gulf States generated the most overnight stays from the Asian region. Although declines (-5.7 percent) were noticeable from this market, it is still Munich's fourth-largest foreign market.

China recorded a plus of 0.3 per cent with 433,000 overnight stays. Guests from the South-east Asian market generated 321,000 overnight stays (+1.6 per cent). At 3.8 days, guests from India were distinguished by an above-average length of stay (average length of stay: 2.1 days). They spent a total of 159,000 nights in Munich (+21.4 percent).

North and South America

Overnight stays by guests from the USA in 2019 were 1.2 million (+5.5 per cent). The total North and South American market accounted for 1.7 million overnight stays (+5.7 per cent).

Outlook

For the year 2020, München Tourismus anticipates a rate of growth totalling roughly
5 percent.

Top ten markets, January to December 2019

Background

München Tourismus is a local tourism organisation based in the Department of Labour and Economic Affairs for the City of Munich. München Tourismus works with partners from the private sector – Tourismusinitiative München TIM e.V. – to develop marketing campaigns, PR measures and tourism products to position Munich as a prime destination among its international competitors. The strategic direction of these initiatives is determined by the Tourism Commission of Munich, a joint body of the city councillors and representatives from the local tourism industry. The cooperation partners are keen to promote quality tourism in Munich. This will not only ensure more enjoyable holidays and a better quality of life in the city; it will also maintain the acceptance of tourism among the local population. München Tourismus is a centre of excellence, knowledge base and innovation centre for the Munich tourism industry and also acts as a link to regional and national tourism organisations such as TOM, BayTM, DZT, MC etc.; it is also a professional and neutral advisor for the tourism industry.

Annual performance stats for 2019

Printable photos for tourism reporting about Munich are available for download at www.munich.travel/film-and-photo-service

Press contact: tourismus.presse@muenchen.de

Photo: Christian Kasper