According to the Saxony State Statistical Office, a total of 2.0 million arrivals and 3.8 million overnight stays were recorded in Leipzig in 2024. With 2 million guest arrivals, more tourists arrived in Leipzig than ever before. In addition to the cultural and city travelers gained, business trips contributed significantly to the success. In particular, the 2024 European Football Championship had a positive impact and generated a high turnover in the hotel and catering industries. Four matches were held in Leipzig and a large fan festival was organized. This led to an increase in international visitors, particularly from the Netherlands, Austria and Italy.
With the number of guest arrivals and overnight stays, Leipzig is the only city in Saxony to exceed the pre-coronavirus result in 2019 for the second consecutive year.
In 2024, Leipzig's guests were offered an average of 136 accommodation establishments with 22,062 beds. In 2023, there were 140 places to stay. Like the previous year, the average duration of the guests' stay was 1.9 days. The average occupancy rate of guest rooms was 64.5 percent. (hotels with 25 or more guest rooms). In 2023, the room occupancy rate reached 63.2 percent.
Comparing the percentage change in overnight stays in major German cities to the pre-coronavirus year 2019, Leipzig ranked 6th with growth of 6%. Volker Bremer, Managing Director of Leipzig Tourismus and Marketing, is delighted with the increase in visitors: “A high-profile European Football Championship, extensive marketing activities at home and abroad and many international trade fairs, congresses, and conferences contributed to Leipzig's increased profile, meaning that we were able to welcome more visitors than ever before in 2024. However, Leipzig’s cultural and leisure facilities such as the Gewandhausorchester, Leipzig Opera, St Thomas Boys’ Choir, Zoo Leipzig, theaters and museums, RB Leipzig and the Multipurpose Sport and Music Event Venue also played a significant role in the successful growth of tourism. Furthermore, major events such as music festivals, city festivals and the 7 Lakes Hike are taking place in the Leipzig region, and active tourism is becoming increasingly important.”
The number of international tourists has significantly increased in comparison to 2023. Their arrivals and overnight stays increased to 268,159 (+9.6%) and 590,455 (+8.7%), compared to 2024. This corresponds to a share of 15.5 of the total overnight stays (2023: 14.2 percent). Most guests came from the Netherlands (48,021 overnight stays), followed by the United States (43,965 overnight stays), Poland (43,146 overnight stays), Austria (41,451 overnight stays) and the UK (38,123).
LTM Managing Director Volker Bremer is optimistic about the year 2025: “As the host city of the European Gymnastics Championships and the International German Gymnastics Festival 2025, Leipzig is expecting a major sporting event with approximately 80,000 athletes and 750,000 visitors from May 26 to June 1. Moreover, cultural events such as The Leipzig Book Fair, Bach Festival event, Wave Gothic Festival and the Christmas Market also encourage many guests to travel to Leipzig. In March, the St Thomas Boys’ Choir will be promoting Leipzig as a city of music through its performances on their tour through the United States. As part of the concert in New York, we are working closely with the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) to invite tour operators and the media to get them excited about Leipzig. Furthermore, in 2025 we will be present at international trade fairs in Barcelona, Frankfurt, London, and Gothenburg together with the Leipzig Trade Fair and the partners of the Do-it-at-Leipzig congress initiative and will acquire congresses and conferences for Leipzig. We are pleased to announce that the MICE Industry Get-Together 2025 will be held in Leipzig for the first time on October 23rd.”
Further information on LEIPZIG REGION: www.leipzig.travel