Comeback of Berlin tourism: figures almost at pre-Covid level

Berlin is now attracting almost as many tourists as it did before the pandemic.

In July, the number of guests was 1.12 million, still 8.3 percent below the comparable figure for 2019, according to the Berlin-Brandenburg Statistics Office on Friday. The number of overnight stays in hotels and guesthouses was still 7.3 percent below pre-pandemic levels. The German Hotel and Restaurant Association Berlin reported very good business in September and an August slightly below the level of 2019.

More visitors from abroad again

"We are back," said the CEO of visitBerlin, Burkhard Kieker. More guests were coming from abroad again as well, but the proportion of German visitors was still greater than before the pandemic, he said. With an average room rate of 105 euros net, an overnight stay in Berlin is now 10 euros more expensive than before the Coronavirus pandemic. New York and Paris, however, remain more than two to three times as expensive.

Confident outlook for fall and winter

From January to July as a whole, tourism was still more than a quarter below pre-crisis levels. Senator Stephan Schwarz, however, expressed confidence that the industry's recovery will continue through the fall and winter despite the ongoing pandemic. "We don't expect there to be any significant restrictions on tourism."

Berlin remains attractive despite energy-saving requirements

Schwarz assured that the city would remain attractive in winter despite energy-saving requirements. "Berlin will not ban Christmas lights. We are also looking forward to the Festival of Lights." However, he said, the state will no longer fund Christmas lights on Kurfürstendamm and Tauentzien; most recently, 250,000 euros went to AG City for this purpose. In view of energy-saving appeals to the population, this would be the wrong signal, Schwarz said.