Visitor decline causes Berlin to miss 30m overnight stay target

Berlin's tourism sector has experienced a notable downturn in 2025, with final figures expected to fall short of the significant milestone of 30 million overnight stays achieved last year.

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The city is the only major German destination to record a year-on-year decline in visitor numbers, bucking the national upward trend.

Burkhard Kieker, head of the city’s tourism organisation Visit Berlin, confirmed the trend, stating the city will “end up just below 30 million” overnight stays for the year.

In 2024, the capital had recorded 30.6 million overnight stays.

For the period covering the first half and several later months of 2025, Berlin welcomed approximately 9 million visitors, a 3.5% decrease compared to the same timeframe in 2024. Overnight stays also decreased, totaling 13.9 million in the first half of the year.

The downturn has been attributed to several factors, including ongoing issues with long-haul flight connectivity at Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) and the reopening of other global long-haul destinations, which has dispersed travelers. The city's tourism officials plan to leverage Berlin’s appeal as an alternative to southern European cities facing overtourism and extreme weather, a strategy for future recovery.

Meanwhile Petra Hedorfer, Chief Executive Officer of the German National Tourist Board (GNTB), affirmed that Germany has strengthened its position in recent years as a leading global tourism destination after traditionally being known as a hub for the automotive industry.