86 million overnight stays - tourism in the East recovers

Tourism in eastern Germany is almost back to pre-coronavirus pandemic levels. The number of commercial overnight stays in Brandenburg, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Thuringia amounted to 85.8 million in 2024 - 1.4 percent more than in the previous year, according to the East German Savings Banks Association (OSV). This is around two million below the record year of 2019. Nationwide, the pre-corona figure was just exceeded.

According to the OSV, all five federal states exceeded the previous year's demand level. Cities were the main growth drivers (+3.7%). The Baltic Sea coast also picked up again with an increase of 2.5 percent, according to the OSV Tourism Barometer. This means that classic travel patterns have returned.

Day trips are important for the tourism location

In terms of day trips, the East is still lagging behind the 2019 level. In 2024, the eastern states recorded 445 million day trips. This was almost ten percent less than in 2019, but with gross sales of 13.7 billion euros, it is still an important segment.

In contrast, the mood in the hospitality industry in the five eastern states has deteriorated due to low profit margins, according to the report. "Small and medium-sized companies in particular are suffering from bureaucracy and overregulation," said OSV Managing President Ludger Weskamp. "Further investment in infrastructure is necessary in order to better exploit the tourism potential of eastern Germany."