Press release: Successful summer season and strong brand image boost prospects for German inbound tourism

Overnight stays up 5.7 per cent in August – Germany has the best brand image in Europe according to NBI 2024

Frankfurt am Main, 14 October 2024 – After analysing various data sources, the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) has drawn a positive interim balance for the peak summer season. According to provisional figures from the Federal Statistical Office, the number of overnight stays by foreign visitors rose by 5.7 per cent year-on-year to 10.1 million in August. In the main travel months of June to August, incoming tourism grew by a total of 8.1 per cent compared to the previous year. This represents a recovery of 98 per cent compared to the previous record year of 2019 during the holiday period.

Other indicators confirm the continuing upward trend: according to surveys by MKG Consulting, hotel occupancy in August was 68.4 per cent, 2.4 percentage points above the previous year's level. Forward Keys also recorded a 15.2 per cent increase in international flight arrivals in Germany in August. Consumer spending by international visitors in Germany beyond the UEFA EURO 2024 period until at least the end of August was also up on the same period in 2023, as an analysis by Mastercard* shows.

The positive trend for incoming visitors to Germany is also confirmed by the international travel industry: In the GNTB Travel Industry Expert Panel (TIEP) – a quarterly survey of more than 250 international tour operators with programmes in Germany – the proportion of CEOs and key accounts who rate their current business situation in relation to Germany positively rose to 57 per cent – 10 percentage points more than in the same period of the previous year.

Petra Hedorfer, CEO of the GNTB, summarises the figures to date in the current context: ‘Demand in the peak season was above average, supported by major events such as UEFA EURO 2024 and the guest appearances of top international stars this summer, and reflects the great appeal of the Destination Germany brand. For the future, the good brand values in the new Anholt Ipsos Nation Brands Index (NBI) 2024 give us a solid basis for further qualitative growth. This is also reflected in the perception of the international travel industry: building on the already very high level of satisfaction with their current business situation, 50 per cent of respondents to the TIEP expressed a further increase in their business expectations for the next six months. However, we also see that the travel industry is extremely sensitive to the general conditions in Germany in an international comparison. Current developments, particularly with regard to flight cancellations and location costs, as well as rising energy costs, pose a risk to the accessibility and competitiveness of Germany as a travel destination.’

NBI 2024: International top ranking for Germany's brand image
In the Anholt Nation Brands Index (NBI) 2024, Germany leads the ranking of the 26 European countries analysed. In a global comparison of the 50 leading economic nations, Germany maintains its 2nd place from 2023 – behind Japan and ahead of Italy. The positioning of Germany as a travel destination in international competition is particularly supported by the rise in the 'Tourism' sub-index from 11th to 10th place, where the NBI recorded an increase in perception in the 'Historic Buildings' segment in particular. In the 'People' facet, Germany's image improved for the second year in a row: from 11th place in 2022 to 9th place in 2023 to 8th place in the current ranking.**

*Mastercard SpendingPulse Destinations™ is a consumption indicator for tourism spending in which sales data from the Mastercard network is aggregated and combined and modelled together with market estimates for other payment methods (including cash).

**For the NBI 2024, surveys were conducted in 50 countries between 1 August 2024 and 10 September 2024.