German tourism almost back to pre-Covid level

BERLIN: Tourism in Germany continues to recover from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, with overnight stays almost reaching pre-crisis levels in June.

The Federal Statistical Office announced on Wednesday that the number of overnight stays by travellers was only 3.4 per cent below the level of June 2019 at 48.9 million, reports dpa news agency.

The shortfall from the pre-crisis level has been steadily narrowing since the beginning of 2022. Overnight stays by guests from Germany even slightly exceeded the pre-crisis level by 0.3 per cent in June. However, travellers from abroad still recorded a 22.2 per cent shortfall.

Hotels, guesthouses and other accommodation recorded a total of 187.6 million overnight stays in the first half of the year. That was 146.3 per cent more than in the same period last year. Domestic guests accounted for 162.4 million overnight stays (plus 132.2 per cent).

The recovery was even more pronounced among travellers from abroad with 25.2 million overnight stays, an increase of 304.4 per cent. The upturn was not spread equally across the sector, however.

Hotels, guesthouses and inns with more than 10 beds reported 4.5 per cent fewer overnight stays in June compared with three years ago. Overnight stays in holiday accommodation and campsites, on the other hand, were slightly above pre-crisis levels.