"This record result of 3.6 million overnight stays is a testimony to our work and affirms the success of the establishment of our Tourism Fund in 2010. With this important source of funding for tourism marketing, we were able to take the necessary steps to successfully position Nuremberg as a desirable city destination", said Yvonne Coulin, Managing Director of the Nuremberg Convention and Tourist Office (CTZ) and Dr. Michael Fraas, the Nuremberg city council member responsible for tourism economics.
In addition to the new record of 1,254,987 million overnight stays by foreign guests, overnight stays by domestic guests have also followed a positive trend: They grew by 7.4 percent for a total of 2,355,626. The amount of overnight stays by guests from Germany reached 65.2 percent, making it the most important source market for Nuremberg. Tourism arrivals topped the mark of 2 million for the first time, thanks to a 7.1 percent growth in domestic guests (1,347,332 total arrivals) and an 8.1 percent rise in foreign guests (653,885 arrivals). In comparison to German-wide tourism numbers, Nuremberg continues to expand at rates significantly above trend. Germany's tourism branch saw a plus of 4.0 percent in overnight stays, with domestic overnight stays growing by 4.0 percent and foreign by 5.0 percent.
July is the Strongest Month for Travel
The most successful month was July, with a total of 360,084 overnight stays, a growth of 10.2 percent in comparison to last year. An increase of just under 41,000 overnight stays made July 2018 the strongest month for overnight stays on record. December landed in second place, with a plus of 4.0 percent (339,534 overnight stays). This increase made it the December with the most overnight stays since statistics have been recorded. Every month in 2018 was marked by positive numbers; five even saw double-digit growth. The months of March and July exceeded the mark of 300,000 overnight stays for the first time.
Positive Growth in all Source Markets
"We are particularly pleased by the positive development in all of our source markets. The growth in American, Italian and Polish overnight stays show just how important the creation of direct flight connections and our active market development are", said Yvonne Coulin. The goal of 150,000 overnight stays (151,858 overnight stays) by guests from America was topped for the first time, a rise of 11.9 percent in comparison to 2017. Nuremberg's Albrecht Dürer Airport also set a record in 2018, with a growth of 6.7 percent more air passengers. This positive trend is reflected in the growth of overnight stays in markets with direct flight connections. Italy broke the ceiling of 100,000 overnight stays for the first time, with a growth of 10.6 percent (109,409 overnight stays) and Poland landed in the Top Ten Countries of Origin for the first time. With a strong plus of 36.6 percent (37,513 overnight stays), the Polish market pushed Russia from 10th place to 11th.
The growth rates in other European markets are: Great Britain, plus 6.3 percent (99,139 overnight stays); Austria, plus 11.3 percent (81,499 overnight stays); Spain, plus 13.1 percent (58,328 overnight stays) and France, plus 12.1 percent (45,809 overnight stays). China, which remains Nuremberg's most important Asian market, saw a plus of 5.2 percent (58,228 overnight stays). Last year, the Dutch and Swiss markets registered a decline. In 2018, 1.2 percent more guests from the Netherlands (60,903 overnight stays) and 3.8 percent more guests from Switzerland (55,054 overnight stays) visited Nuremberg. The positive development in the South Korean market in 2017 did not continue. The statistics show a minus of 9.3 percent of overnight stays by guests from South Korea.
Video Campaign: "Guests.Friends.Nuremberg"
In 2018, the CTZ put Nuremberg's hosts in the limelight with its "Guests.Friends.Nuremberg" marketing campaign. "The increasing pace of digitalization creates new challenges and tasks for us. In addition, the 'Localhood' trend, in which tourists hope to feel like locals during their stay and create an emotional tie to their destination, has spurred us on. That's why our video campaign gives our local hoteliers - who know this city intimately - the opportunity to tell their personal stories, highlight their favorite places in town and give the destination Nuremberg an individual and unique character", said Yvonne Coulin.
Eight hosts - from large hotel chains and small, privately-operated inns - present their testimonial of the month at the hashtag #SeiMeinGast: This includes their story, details of their hotel and their personal favorite places in Nuremberg. The range includes an avid fan of the Club (Nuremberg's soccer team), a tattooed rock star, an innkeeper whose hobby is floral arrangements and a hotel manager and her charming dog Fanny. In short videos produced by the CTZ, testimonials take viewers on a stroll to local highlights near the host hotels. In addition to interactive maps, all tips and additional information can be found at tourismus.nuernberg.de/en/booking/our-hosts/. In addition, members of the tourist association learned how to use Instagram as a photo and video platform in special workshops organized and offered by employees of the CTZ. At the start of the campaign, many Nuremberg hotels opened their own Instagram channel. During 2019, new testimonials will continue to tell personal and interesting stories.
Focus on Digital Marketing in 2019
This year, the focus of the marketing activities of the CTZ will be the further expansion of its digital strategy. Digital packages from the German National Tourist Board for the source markets of Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, USA and Poland will be created. This will allow Nuremberg to position itself online with pinpoint accuracy through inspirational photos and video content in these important markets. The CTZ will continue to inform and train tourist service providers about the advantages of Instagram and video marketing.
Additional Links
All monthly overnight stay statistics for Nuremberg 2018