With a total of 1,836,797 arrivals and 3,376,257 overnight stays, Leipzig has once again surpassed itself, overtaking its previous record set in 2017.
The city can look back with pride on the best year in its history for tourism. Yet again, significant growth of 7.5 per cent by comparison with the previous year was recorded for arrivals, and growth of 6.5 per cent for overnight stays.
2,069,490 overnight stays in the Leipzig region can be added to these figures, giving a total volume of around 5.4 million overnight stays in the overall destination LEIPZIG REGION. This represents 27.1 per cent of all overnight stays in Saxony. In 2018, visitors to Leipzig could choose from 135 accommodation providers offering 18,922 beds (+12.7 per cent; figures correct as of 12/2018). The average duration of stay was 1.8 days.
Volker Bremer, Director of Leipzig Tourism and Marketing (LTM), is delighted with the new visitor record: “Our comprehensive marketing activities over the years have been successful in raising awareness for Leipzig as a travel destination and in encouraging tourists to consider a visit to the city. In 2018, we saw further significant growth in the numbers of domestic as well as foreign tourists. In cooperation with the Leipzig Trade Fair and the conference initiative “Do-it-at-Leipzig”, we also achieved a substantial increase in the numbers of events and conferences held in Leipzig.”
The proportion of overnight stays by domestic visitors increased by 6.3 per cent in 2018 by comparison with the previous year. Overnight stays by foreign visitors rose by 7.1 per cent. This represents 16.1 per cent of all overnight stays in Saxony (2017: 16.0 per cent). The greatest growth in overnight stays by foreign guests from the top 10 countries was seen amongst guests from Russia (34.7 per cent), Austria (13.5 per cent) and Denmark (13.4 per cent).
Leipzig’s top 10 international source markets 2018:
USA: 49,334 overnight stays (- 6,7 %)
Switzerland: 41,655 overnight stays (+ 7,2 %)
Austria: 41,038 overnight stays (+ 13,5 %)
United Kingdom: 40,764 overnight stays (+ 8,3 %)
Netherlands: 37,394 overnight stays (+ 2,2 %)
Poland: 31,241 overnight stays (+ 0,9 %)
Russia: 22,134 overnight stays (+ 34,7 %)
Italy: 18,000 overnight stays (- 4,2 %)
France: 17,075 overnight stays (- 3,1 %)
Denmark: 15,467 overnight stays (+ 13,4 %)
Volker Bremer is optimistic about the future: “City breaks are still fashionable in Germany. Leipzig is perceived as a cultural and city break destination. According to the large-scale customer survey in German inner cities carried out every other year by the IFH Köln, Leipzig once again has the most attractive inner city in Germany in the “over 500,000 inhabitants” category. We plan to build on this positive image by means of creative joint projects, in close collaboration with the German National Tourist Board, and through a proactive press and publicity campaign. We are therefore expecting further growth in 2019 as well. Our next goal will be to reach 3.5 million overnight stays.”
Once again, there is plenty to see and do on a visit to Leipzig in 2019. Traditional trade fairs and festivals such as the Leipzig Book Fair, the Wave-Gotik-Treffen and the Bachfest will draw many visitors to the city. However, other good reasons for a trip to Leipzig and the surrounding region include the 200th birthday of Clara Schumann, which is commemorated with a celebratory year; the “100 Years of Bauhaus” and “30 Years of the Peaceful Revolution” anniversaries and the chance to experience the city’s industrial heritage brought to life.
