Urban tourism in Hamburg has seen remarkable growth over the past two decades. The Hanseatic city has tripled its overnight stays from 5.4 million to 15.9 million, despite visitors typically staying for short durations.
According to the Northern Statistics Office, Hamburg’s popularity as a city destination has been steadily increasing, with tourism demand rising year after year. However, city tourists seem to have brief stays in the Hanseatic city. The average duration of a visit has increased slightly and currently stands at two days.
International visitor trends
About 80 percent of guests come from within Germany. In 2003, visitors from the United Kingdom formed the largest group among international guests, followed by Americans and Swiss tourists. By 2023, this pattern had shifted, with most international visitors coming from Denmark, followed by Switzerland and Austria. Over the past two decades, the Hanseatic city has welcomed approximately 108.5 million visitors who booked around 215.8 million overnight stays.
Current state of tourism
Business remains stable in 2024. The first six months of the year recorded 7.54 million overnight stays, about 60,000 fewer than in the first half of 2023, representing a slight decrease of 0.4 percent. However, these numbers are well above the values from 2019, the last year before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Compared to 2019, there were 386,000 or 5.1 percent more overnight stays in the first half of 2024. Michael Otremba, CEO of Hamburg Tourism, told NDR, “The industry in Hamburg has emerged very, very strong from the crisis – stronger than in other major German cities.”
The expert sees a possible reason for the slight dip in overnight stays in the European Football Championship. According to Otremba, the major event may have discouraged non-football fans from traveling to Hamburg.
