Germany held its position as the world’s leading business travel destination in 2025, capturing a 10 per cent share of the global market, even as total international business trips to the country fell 6 per cent to 13.8 million, according to new industry data.
The figures, drawn from the Meeting & EventBarometer 2025/26 and IPK International’s World Travel Monitor, were presented jointly by the German National Tourist Board (GNTB), the GCB German Convention Bureau and the European Association of Event Centres (EVVC).
The overall decline was driven by a 16 per cent drop in traditional business travel, while promotable business trips — covering meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) — remained broadly stable, rising 0.1 per cent. MICE travel accounted for 64 per cent of all international business travel to Germany in 2025.
Among visitors arriving from outside Europe, 32 per cent travelled for business purposes, with overall overseas business travel falling 3 per cent to 2.6 million trips. Traditional business travel from those markets declined 10 per cent, while promotable business travel grew 1 per cent.
Events market grows to 395 million attendees
A total of 395.1 million people attended an event in Germany in person in 2025, a 4.6 per cent increase on the 377.6 million recorded in 2024. The total number of in-person events held steady at 2.02 million, with an average duration of 1.7 days.
Within the business events segment, there was a clear shift towards larger gatherings. Across almost all size categories with 1,000 or more attendees, the number of business events increased, with growth rates ranging from 0.2 to 4.6 per cent.
International attendees accounted for 10.7 per cent of all event participants in Germany, with around 80 per cent of those visitors coming from European source markets. Switzerland, France, Austria and the United Kingdom were among the primary feeder countries, alongside long-haul markets including the United States and China.
Bleisure travel adds value beyond the boardroom
The data pointed to growing interest in bleisure travel, with 16 per cent of international business visitors extending their trip to Germany for leisure purposes between November 2024 and October 2025. That figure represents an increase of two percentage points on the previous 12-month period.
Bleisure trips generated an average of 1.6 additional nights at the destination, stimulating wider tourism demand. Germany’s cultural and urban offerings were identified as the main drivers for extending work trips.
“The global business travel market is undergoing rapid change. The decline in traditional business travel reflects both the shifting global economic environment and structural change driven by digital transformation,” said Petra Hedorfer, Chairwoman of the GNTB’s executive board. “By contrast, promotable business trips are proving stable. In international comparison, Germany remains by a clear margin the number one business travel destination in 2025.”
German venues reported high levels of customer loyalty in 2025, with 40 per cent of clients making four or more bookings and a further 31 per cent returning for one to three events. Event centres recorded the highest share of regular clients among all venue types.
The share of event organisers based outside Germany rose to 11.7 per cent in 2025, up from 9.9 per cent the previous year. Austria led the list of international organiser source markets, followed by the United Kingdom, the United States, Switzerland and the Netherlands. Companies represented the largest single group of organisers overall, accounting for 52.5 per cent.
“These figures underline the high quality and excellent standards of German venues,” said Ilona Jarabek, President of the EVVC. “The fact that, according to venue operators, three quarters of their clients are loyal customers, underscores both the attractiveness and the stability of what German venues have to offer.”
Industry outlook remains positive despite geopolitical headwinds
Despite widespread expectation of geopolitical disruption over the next three years, the events industry reported a broadly optimistic near-term outlook. Some 87 per cent of organisers rated the event planning environment as good or very good, while 61 per cent of venues reported good or very good booking levels for the year ahead.
Matthias Schultze, Managing Director of the GCB, said international demand for events in Germany remained robust. “The German events market is therefore maintaining its competitiveness despite a persistently volatile geopolitical environment and an overall challenging backdrop,” he said.
The GNTB noted that escalating trade conflicts and the conflict in the Middle East since late February 2026 were creating additional uncertainty for the global economy and international business travel. Internationalisation and digital transformation were identified as key factors in securing Germany’s long-term position as the leading business travel destination.
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