Record Results for Tourism in the State Capital and the Hannover Region in 2019

Tourism in the Hanover region reached an all-time high in 2019! With 4,254,598 guest overnight stays between January and December, the region clearly surpassed the 4-million mark for the third time. This represents a total of 203,959 more overnight stays than in the previous year. With 2,338,758 overnight stays, the capital of Lower Saxony also managed to increase its overnight stay total from the previous year by another 88,513.

In percentage terms, this means that for 2019, the State Statistical Office recorded an overall increase of 5 percent compared to the previous year for the 21 cities and municipalities in the Hanover region. The state capital saw an increase of 3.9 percent.

Mayor Belit Onay is pleased with the new record: “Hanover is always in high season—and is an attractive travel destination for more and more people from all regions of Germany and many other countries.”

We see it almost every day in the visitors to City Hall, and the tourism figures confirm this time and again. Hanover stands out for its events, culture, sports, and dining—and not just on weekends. How wonderful that more and more guests are discovering this for themselves!”

Also noteworthy is the long-term increase in the number of overnight stays: For example, in 1999, Hannover recorded approximately 1.1 million overnight stays, while the Hannover region recorded approximately 2.2 million. In the year of the EXPO, overnight stays in the region rose to 3.5 million. This figure was surpassed again for the first time in 2011. In the following years, overnight stays in the region continued to rise steadily, and in 2017, the 4-million mark was exceeded for the first time.

“The Hannover region has long since ceased to be an insider’s tip as a tourist destination. With a great cultural scene, diverse natural landscapes, and attractive nightlife options—more and more people are realizing that this is a great place to spend a few relaxing days. And that applies not only to the state capital but also to the surrounding area. The days when visitors came here only for the trade fair are over—and that’s clearly reflected in the number of overnight stays,” says Regional President Hauke Jagau with delight.

It is clear that, in addition to trade show visitors, the number of conferences, corporate events, and professional meetings—as well as the number of leisure tourists—in the Hanover region has risen significantly. The large number of new hotel construction projects and dining establishments in Hanover reflects the positive development of Hanover as a destination. The first new hotel projects were successfully completed in 2019 but are not yet reflected in the current statistics. “Integrating the more than 20 hotel projects currently under construction into the marketing and sales efforts of the Hannover region, as well as offsetting the massive declines in tourism already on the horizon for 2020 and beyond, will be our challenge for the coming years. Tourism is a key economic driver of lasting importance for the Hannover region; we are currently talking about a total of over 2.6 billion euros in annual gross tourism revenue*,” said Hans Christian Nolte, Managing Director of Hannover Marketing und Tourismus GmbH.

9 cities + 2 in Lower Saxony
The members of the international marketing partnership “9 Cities + 2 in Lower Saxony” (Braunschweig, Celle, Göttingen, Goslar, Hameln, Hannover, Hildesheim, Lüneburg, Wolfenbüttel, plus the Autostadt in Wolfsburg and Hannover Airport) are also pleased with the increase in overnight stays and, consequently, in tourism revenue. Overall, the cities recorded a 5.0 percent increase in overnight stays, reaching over 5.5 million guest-nights in 2019. Particularly encouraging is the 4.8 percent rise in overnight stays by international visitors—a testament to the partnership’s international marketing efforts.

For more information about the Hanover region, visit: www.visit-hannover.com

*Based on the 2015 analysis by dwif-Consulting GmbH