Last updated: October 13, 2022, by Grant Thomas
🔖Cite this webpage (Thomas, Grant. “Latest Germany Travel Statistics & Data”. visasassociation.com, October 13, 2022, https://visasassociation.com/statistics/germany-travel-statistics)
Note: The latest Germany travel statistics and data are for 2021. We will update this page as soon as 2022 tourism key figures and travel statistics on Germany are available.
Highlights: Latest Germany Travel Statistics & Trends
- Over the past years, Germany has been one of the top three countries with the highest number of Schengen Visa applications received.
- In 2021, Germany’s Schengen Visa approval rate was 84.1%.
- In 2021, Germany received 65.542 (16%) fewer Schengen Visa applications compared with 2020.
- In 2021, Germany recorded an increase in overnight stays of 2.7% compared with 2020.
- In 2021, Germany recorded a drop of 37.4% in overnight stays compared with 2019.
- In 2021, the Netherlands was the most important source market for Germany, with 4.7 million overnight stays.
- Germany ranked the second most popular destination for Europeans in 2021, with 23 million trips recorded.
- Germany’s most important overseas markets in 2021 were the USA with 880,000 (12%) trips.
- 33% of the trips from overseas to Germany taken in 2021 were business trips.
- In 2021, the major cities in Germany remained popular among international visitors: 49% of international overnight stays were recorded in destinations with over 100,000 inhabitants.
- In 2021, Germany ranked no.1 as a cultural travel destination among worldwide travel by Europeans.
- 26% of all holiday trips taken to Germany in 2021 were cultural trips.
- In 2021, 310.2 million tourist overnight stays were recorded in travel accommodations in Germany.
- Turkey was the country that submitted the highest number of Schengen Visa applications for Germany in 2021 (nearly 94,000 applications or 27% of the total number of applications).
The Recovery of Tourism in Germany after Covid-19
The Covid-19 pandemic made a huge impact on the tourism industry in Germany, leading to a loss of 161 billion euros.
According to a press release issued by the German Office for Statistics, Destasis, Germany recorded an increase in overnight stays of 2.7% in 2021 compared with 2020. Still, the numbers show a decline of 37.4% compared with 2019.
However, a WTTC report revealed that the travel and tourism sector in Germany saw the beginnings of a slight recovery in 2021, even if the numbers recorded were down on pre-pandemic levels.
According to the same report from WTTC, the contribution of the travel and tourism sector to the economy would have been higher if it weren’t for the Omicron variant which prompted Germany to introduce new restrictions on travel.
- In 2021, Germany received 346,284 Schengen Visa applications (65.542 or 16% fewer than in 2020).
- In 2021, Germany received 1,825,000 or 84% fewer Schengen Visa applications than in 2019.
- In 2021, Germany issued 268,000 Schengen Visas (75.500 or 22% fewer than in 2020).
- The most important source markets for Germany in 2021 were the Netherlands with 4.7 million overnight stays and Switzerland with 2.7 million overnight stays.Â
- In 2021, Germany had an above-average share of the international business travel market, with 19% of international trips to Germany taken for business purposes (6 percentage points more than the EU average).
- In October 2021, the number of overnight stays in accommodation establishments increased by 30.3% compared with the corresponding month of 2020.
- In October 2021, the number of overnight stays in accommodation establishments declined by 5.1% compared with the corresponding month of 2019.
- In 2021, 52% of the business trips to Germany were taken participation in conferences and conventions.
- In 2021, travel spending by Germans fell by 9.7% to 28.8 billion EUR.
- Berlin was the most visited city in Germany in 2021, with 5.1 million visitors (+4% compared with 2020 and -64% compared with 2019).
- In March 2021, Germany recorded roughly 3,000,000 (58%) fewer guest arrivals compared with the corresponding month of 2020.
- In March 2021, Germany recorded nearly 6,715,000 (42%) fewer overnight stays in accommodation establishments compared with the corresponding month of 2020.
- In 2021, Germany recorded a slight increase of 3% in the number of overnight stays in accommodation establishments in comparison with 2020.
- In 2021, Germany recorded a slight decrease of 1% in the number of tourist arrivals in accommodation establishments in comparison with 2020.
- 52.9% of the trips taken to Germany in 2021 had an average length of 1 to 3 nights.
- Only 15.5% of the trips taken to Germany in 2021 had an average length of 10 nights or over.
- Nearly 21,628,000 (14%) trips taken to Germany in 2021 were for business purposes.
- In February 2021, the number of persons employed in accommodation services dropped by 25% compared with the corresponding month of 2020.
- In 2021, Germany ranked the 3rd country with the highest number of Schengen Visa applications received.
- In 2021, China submitted nearly 427,000 (99%) fewer Schengen Visa applications compared with 2019.
- In 2021, Russia submitted 41,000 or 58% fewer Schengen Visa applications for Germany compared with 2020.
- In 2021, the total contribution of travel and tourism to Germany’s gross domestic product (GDP) amounted to 228 billion euros, showing an increase of 5% compared with 2020.
Schengen Visa Applications & Tourism in Germany – Trends
Germany’s Schengen Visa approval rate from 2015 to 2021
Countries that submitted the highest number of Schengen Visa applications for Germany from 2015 to 2021
Top 5 countries that submitted the highest number of Schengen Visa applications for Germany in 2021
Approval rates for the countries that submitted the highest number of Schengen Visa applications for Germany in 2021
Top 5 third countries that had the highest rejection rates for the Schengen Visa for Germany in 2021
Number of tourist arrivals in accommodation establishments in Germany from 2015 to 2021
Number of overnight stays at travel accommodation in Germany from 2015 to 2021
Germany: Domestic and international transport statistics for passengers from 2015 to 2021
Length of trips to Germany from 2015 to 2021
Reasons for travelling to Germany from 2015 to 2021
Germany’s tourism expenditure from 2015 to 2021
Sources:
European Travel Commission – EUROPEAN TOURISM: TRENDS & PROSPECTS Quarterly report (Q2/2021)
European Commission – Statistics on short-stay visas issued by the Schengen States
Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action – 2021 Facts and Figures
STATISTA – Tourism Industry in Germany – Statistics and Facts
DESTATIS – Federal Statistical Office of Germany
drv.de – The German Travel Market – Facts and figures 2021