Halle enjoys tourism boom despite nationwide decline!

Halle enjoys tourism boom despite nationwide decline!

The tourism landscape in Saxony-Anhalt shows a mixed picture in May 2025: While the majority of the state is recording a decline in guest arrivals and overnight stays, the Halle, Saale and Unstrut region is defying this trend. Fortunately, there was an increase of 5.1 percent at guest arrivals and 0.1 percent in overnight stays compared to the previous year.

Overall, however, Saxony-Anhalt recorded a decline of1.5 percentat guest arrivals and4.6 percentat the overnight stays, with about354,600 arrivalsand842,400 overnight staysin May 2025. These numbers are also part of a Germany-wide trend where overnight stays are increasing2.6 percentfell.

The role of the Pentecost holidays

One reason for the decline could be the postponement of the Whitsun holidays in some federal states to June 2025, which meant there were no school days in May this year and thus influenced domestic tourism in Germany. In Saxony-Anhalt only that fellMay 30thon a day off from school, which was clearly reflected in the numbers.

Interestingly, the number of foreign guests did not remain unaffected. These increased3.8 percent, but their overnight stays were lost4.1 percentback, resulting in a shortened average length of stay of2.4 daysindicates – a decrease compared to the previous year.

Stable location in Halle

The Halle, Saale and Unstrut region, on the other hand, presents itself as a stable factor in the country's tourism structure. Despite the general decline in Saxony-Anhalt, the city recorded growth. That's how they came93.6 percentof guests from within Germany, with a decline in arrivals and overnight stays of1.8 percentand4.6 percentis recorded.

The capacity utilization of accommodation providers has also come into focus. This sank35.4 percent, a decrease from2 percentcompared to the previous year. In addition, the number of accommodation establishments open has fallen slightly:1,046Establishments were open in May 2025, compared to1,060in the previous year.

Challenges and opportunities for tourism

The accommodation providers in Saxony-Anhalt had to contend with declines in certain segments. While hotels and hotel garnis with a plus of5.4 percentwith the guests and3.2 percentWhen it comes to overnight stays, campsites suffered a sharp decline28.1 percentwith the guests and27.0 percentduring overnight stays. Holiday centers also showed weak numbers17.1 percentfewer guests and10.7 percentfewer overnight stays.

In this difficult environment, it is now important to develop creative solutions and provide new incentives in order to give domestic tourism a boost again. The Halle region, as a positive example, could serve as a pioneer to inspire other parts of the state and work towards the next seasonal highlight.

Thanks to its stable tourism figures, the highly valued Halle region could be the key to revitalizing tourism in Saxony-Anhalt as a whole. The coming months will remain exciting - perhaps there will still be surprises in tourism!