Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: Saxony overtakes NRW in the tourist ranking!

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: Saxony overtakes NRW in the tourist ranking!

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is becoming increasingly popular as a holiday region. Like the Ostsee-Zeitung reported, the state recorded a total of 7.7 million guest arrivals and more than 32 million overnight stays in 2023. This positive trend makes it the second strongest year for tourism since the fall of the Wall in 1990; only 2019 brought even more international visitors to MV.

Saxons in particular are a large part of the audience: 13.4 percent came from this federal state in 2023. Nordrhein-Westfalen folgt dicht dahinter mit 13,2 Prozent, während Niedersachsen und Berlin auch nicht zu kurz kommen. What is striking is that more than every second holidaymaker comes from East Germany, including Berlin.

Growth and hotspots

The increase in international guests is particularly pleasing, with 335,000 arrivals recording an increase of 17.8 percent compared to the previous year. Most international tourists came from the Netherlands, followed by Switzerland and Denmark. However, only 9,000 people from the USA alone visited the state in 2023.

The popularity of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is also reflected in the number of overnight stays: over 9 million overnight stays were counted in Western Pomerania-Rügen alone. The Mecklenburg Baltic Sea coast and Western Pomerania-Greifswald follow closely behind. The Baltic Sea resorts of Heringsdorf, Binz and Kühlungsborn in particular attract numerous visitors.

The profile of the holidaymakers

What distinguishes holidaymakers? A guest survey from 2022/2023 showed that the average age of tourists is 54.7 years. Around 55 percent of holidaymakers travel as a couple, a quarter come with their family. The regular guests also show that the region is well received: 73 percent of holidaymakers are repeat visitors. In comparison, first-time visitors are rather low at 5.6 percent, which represents a slight decline of 10 percent since 2015/16.

The length of stay also varies: While international guests stay on average for 2.7 days, German holidaymakers have a significantly longer stay with an average of 9.5 nights.

Economic aspects

A look at economic development shows that accommodation providers in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania recorded a total of 971,638 overnight stays in 2023, while arrivals were 256,542. Times have been mixed for the industry, but there are bright spots. Hospitality sales for 2023 reported positive developments in most months, with a notable increase in May and June.

The statistics portal refers Please note that the number of employees in the hospitality industry is almost stable, but that some of the values ​​are provisional and will be subject to adjustments in the future. It is exciting to see how tourism in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania will develop in the next few years, especially with the focus on sustainable practices and the involvement of locals, as the current analysis of the key figures from illustrated.

In any case, the region remains a hot tip for short vacationers and long-term travelers alike, and the signs are good for continued positive development in the tourism sector. Let's be surprised at what new trends and changes the next few years will bring us!