Last updated: March 14, 2022, by Grant Thomas
🔖Cite this webpage (Thomas, Grant. “2020 – Germany Travel Statistics & Data”. visasassociation.com, March 14, 2022, https://visasassociation.com/statistics/2020-germany-travel-statistics)
Note: The latest statistics and travel data available about Germany is for 2020. We will update this page as soon as Germany’s 2021 travel statistics and tourism key figures are available.
Highlights: 2020 Germany Tourism Statistics & Trends
- Over the past years, Germany has been the second Schengen country with the highest number of visa applications received.
- In 2020, the number of Schengen Visa applications for Germany dropped by 81%.
- In 2020, Germany’s Schengen Visa approval rate was 85.9%.
- International overnight stays in Germany dropped by 64.4% in 2020.
- In 2020, 46% of international trips to Germany were in major cities with over 100,000 inhabitants.
- One-third of the trips from overseas to Germany taken in 2020 were business trips.
- In 2020, Germany’s most important overseas markets were the USA with 704,000 (10%) trips and China with 231,000 (12%) trips.
- In 2020, Berlin was the most visited destination in Germany, with 4.9 million arrivals.
- In 2020, the Netherlands was Germany’s leading source market for inbound tourism, with 5.8 million overnight stays.
- In 2019, Germany ranked second in top MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions) countries, with 682 trade fairs.
- 69% of the business trips to Germany taken in 2020 were promotable trips.
- 31% of the business trips to Germany taken in 2020 were traditional trips for face-to-face meetings.
- For the first time, Germany was the most popular destination for Europeans in 2020, with 23.5 million trips.
- In 2020, Germany ranked second for nature-based travel among Europeans.
- Germany’s international business travel market (21%) is above the EU average (14%).
- 28% of foreign travellers consider landscapes and scenery an important reason for visiting Germany.
- In 2019, Germany ranked no.1 as a cultural travel destination for Europeans as well as a destination country for Europe luxury travel.
- In 2020, foreign tourists brought more than 19.6 billion euros in international tourism receipts, 46% less than in 2019.
Covid’s Impact on the German Tourism Sector & Visa Applications for Germany
The tourism industry in Germany was heavily affected by the measures taken by the government to contain the spread of COVID-19 infections.
Travel agencies, tour operators, and many other businesses in the industry struggled to survive after the government’s restrictions brought international travel to a grinding halt, dramatically reducing the number of overnight and same-day visitors.
According to WTTC (World Travel & Tourism Council), Germany’s travel and tourism industry suffered a loss of 161 billion euros in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
WTTC’s annual Economic Impact Report (EIR) shows that the contribution of the travel and tourism sector to Germany’s GDP dropped by 46.9% after the pandemic struck.
“The loss of more than 440,000 Travel & Tourism jobs across Germany has had a devastating socio-economic impact, leaving huge numbers of people fearing for their future”, declared Gloria Guevara, President & CEO of WTTC.
Moreover, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has revealed that, in the first quarter of 2021, Germany recorded -68% international tourism receipts compared with the same period of 2019.
- In 2020, Germany received 411,800 Schengen Visa applications, 81% or 1,760,000 fewer than in 2019.
- Germany issued 343,500 Schengen Visas in 2020, 82% or 1,573,000 fewer than in 2019.
- In March 2020, 45% of accommodation establishments declared revenue losses between 10,000 to 50,000 euros.
- Between March 2020 and January 2021, Germany’s accommodation and food services turnover was 47.1% lower than in the same period a year earlier.
- Between March 2020 and January 2021, accommodation establishments in Germany recorded 57% fewer arrivals.
- Between March 2020 and January 2021, the number of persons employed in the tourism sector dropped by 19.2%.
- In 2020, Germany recorded 98.15 million tourist arrivals in hotels and other accommodation establishments, 49% or 92.79 million fewer than in 2019.
- In 2020, Germany recorded 302.3 million overnight stays at travel accommodation, 39% or 193.3 million fewer than in 2019.
- In 2020, the average daily spending per person during business travel in Germany was 161 euros, a slight decrease over the previous year.
- In 2020, Germany’s income from international travel was 19.6 billion euros, 46% less than in 2019.
- Between April and June 2020, the turnover of German travel providers was 91% lower than in the same period a year earlier.
- Business travel expenditures in Germany amounted to 10.1 billion euros in 2020, 82% or 45.2 billion euros less than in 2019.
- In January 2021, Germany recorded 76.3% fewer overnight stays compared with January 2020.
- In November 2021, Germany recorded 24.6 million overnight stays, +165.5% over November 2020 and -24.2% over November 2019.
- Overnight stays of domestic visitors at camping sites increased by 15% in the summer of 2020 compared to 2019.
- In 2020, the number of persons travelling to Germany by plane dropped by 73% over the previous year.
- In 2020, Germany recorded 34 million euros of tourism expenditure, 59% less than the previous year.
- The impact of the tourism sector on Germany’s GDP fell from 344 billion euros (9.8%) in 2019 to 183 billion euros (5.5%) in 2020.
- Berlin, the most visited city in Germany, recorded a drop of 65% in the number of guest arrivals in 2020.
Schengen Visa Applications and Tourism in Germany – 2020 Trends
○ Germany’s Schengen Visa approval rate from 2015 to 2020
○ Countries that submitted the highest number of Schengen Visa applications for Germany from 2015 to 2020
○ In 2020, Germany ranked no. 2 for the number of Schengen Visa applications received
○ Top 5 countries that submitted the highest number of Schengen Visa applications for Germany in 2020
○ Approval rates for the countries that submitted the highest number of Schengen Visa applications for Germany in 2020
○ Top 5 third countries that had the highest rejection rates for the Schengen Visa for Germany in 2020
○ Number of tourist arrivals in accommodation establishments in Germany from 2015 to 2020
○ Number of overnight stays at travel accommodation in Germany from 2015 to 2020
○ Business travel spending in Germany from 2015 to 2020
○ Average daily spending per person during business travel in Germany from 2015 to 2020
○ Reasons for business travel to Germany (2020)
○ Germany: Leading source markets for international inbound visitors in 2020
○ Germany: Domestic and international transport statistics for passengers from 2015 to 2020
○ Length of trips to Germany from 2015 to 2020
○ Reasons for travelling to Germany from 2015 to 2020
○ Germany tourism expenditure from 2015 to 2020
Sources:
European Travel Commission – EUROPEAN TOURISM: TRENDS & PROSPECTS Quarterly report (Q2/2021)
European Commission – Statistics on short-stay visas issued by the Schengen States
Wikipedia – Tourism in Germany
STATISTA – Tourism Industry in Germany – Statistics and Facts
DESTATIS – Federal Statistical Office of Germany
drv.de – The German Travel Market
