Record results for tourism in the state capital and the Region Hannover in 2019

Tourism in the Region Hannover reached an all-time high in 2019! With 4,254,598 guest overnight stays between January and December, the region surpassed the 4-million mark by a wide margin 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 last year’s total by another 88,513 overnight stays.

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

Mayor Belit Onay is delighted with this new record: “Hannover is always in high season—and is an attractive destination for a growing number of 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 it time and again. Hannover stands out for its events, culture, sports, and dining—and not just on weekends. It’s wonderful that more and more visitors are discovering this for themselves!"

The long-term increase in the number of overnight stays is also noteworthy: For example, in 1999, Hannover recorded approximately 1.1 million overnight stays, while the Region Hannover recorded approximately 2.2 million. In the Expo year, 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 Region Hannover is no longer an insider’s tip as a tourist destination. With a fantastic 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 reflected in the overnight stay figures,” says Regional President Hauke Jagau with delight.

It is clear that, in addition to trade fair visitors, the number of conferences, corporate events, and professional conventions—as well as the number of leisure tourists—in the Hannover region has risen significantly. The large number of new hotel construction projects and restaurant developments in Hannover reflects the positive growth of Hannover 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 compensating for 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 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 to report an 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 success of the partnership’s international marketing efforts.

For more information about the Region Hannover, please visit: www.visit-hannover.com

*Based on the 2015 analysis by dwif-Consulting GmbH