Must-see Hamburg proving real tourist magnet

"Hamburg is now one of the absolute must-see cities for travellers," said Michael Otremba, Managing Director of Hamburg Tourismus GmbH. Mostly tourists from other parts of Germany visit the city and booked around 12.4 million overnight stays last year. However, the number of tourists from other countries increased by 15.2 per cent over 2022.  "The increase of 3.3 per cent over 2019 exceeded the pre-crisis level for the first time," Dr Melanie Leonhard, Senator for Economcs, said, adding: "Compared to other major cities in Europe, we are seeing a rapid recovery overall, which is very good for business and our city."

Hamburg is a particularly attractive destination for Danes who accounted for 357,000 overnight stays, followed by Swiss (351,000) and Austrians (295,000) tourists. Travellers visit a city at least once a year, the 2023/24 European Tourism City Travel study found. The City of Hamburg now counts among Europe's 24 "must-see cities" which was compiled from a rank of 170 European cities. Most respondents cited the biggest draws as sightseeing, experiencing urban culture, a diverse urban environment and enjoyment. 

Tourists can look forward to many highlights this year ranging from cultural to sporting events. The Hamburger Kunsthalle, for instance, is hosting an exhibition entitled "Caspar David Friedrich. Art for a New Age" until April 1, 2024 to mark what would have been the artist's 250th birthday. Fans of musicals can look forward to three new extravaganzas including Disney's "Hercules" (from March), "And Juliet" (from October) and "The Michael Jackson Musical" (from December). The completion of the St. Pauli flak tower in April will go hand in hand with the opening of the Reverb by Hard Rock Hamburg Hotel and a sports and concert hall. The Westfield district  Überseequartier offers 80,000 square metres of space with 200 shops, ten cinemas and 50 restaurants. The City of Hamburg is also gearing up to host the 2024 UEFA European Football Championship from June 14 to July 14. As one of the host cities, five matches will be played in the Volksparkstadion and  fan area will be set up on the Heiligengeistfeld. Other major tourist draws this year include the Port Anniversary Celebrations from May 9-12, 2024, the second Open Mouth Food Festival from September 12-16 followed by the Reeperbahn Festival from September 18-21, 2024. "The city and our industry as a whole still have a lot of untapped potential. I am confident that the number of guests will continue to grow at a healthy rate," Otremba remarked.
mm/kk/pb