February 26, 2025: Record tourism figures for 2024 with 3.8 million overnight stays

For the first time, tourism in Nuremberg recorded an annual result of over 3.8 million overnight stays in 2024, an increase of 8.9 percent compared to the previous year. The development of overnight stays in Nuremberg thus continues to exceed the trend in tourism across Germany, which recorded growth of 1.9 percent compared to the previous year. The number of tourist arrivals in Nuremberg rose by 9.8 percent to over two million. Bed occupancy also increased slightly, reaching 47 percent.

Nuremberg's Head of Economic and Scientific Affairs, Dr. Andrea Heilmaier, emphasizes: "Nuremberg's success as a tourist destination lies in the attractive combination of an internationally renowned, extremely successful trade fair location with a city center that scores highly with its rich historical heritage, cultural highlights, diverse gastronomic scene, and attractive retail offerings, while also being excellently connected by car, plane, train, and ship. For me, the further development of these success factors is the key to Nuremberg's future success in tourism."

"This record result confirms the strong demand for Nuremberg as a travel destination – both nationally and internationally. The city, with its diverse sights, a wide range of hotels, and multifaceted cuisine, appeals to leisure and business travelers alike. In addition, 2024 was a very successful trade fair year, which underlines Nuremberg's importance as a trade fair location and contributed significantly to the positive development," said Yvonne Coulin, Managing Director of the Congress and Tourism Center Nuremberg (CTZ).

Record months throughout the year

All months of 2024 recorded consistently positive growth rates in overnight stays from domestic and foreign guests, both in the strong business months due to regular trade fairs and in the classic leisure months. Ten months set new records, with the exception of January and September, the remaining months achieved the highest overnight stays since statistics began. July (387,875 overnight stays, up 7.9 percent) and December (387,682 overnight stays, up 5.9 percent) set two absolute records. They exceeded the previous record month of July 2019 (366,151 overnight stays) by 21,724 (July 2024) and 21,531 (December 2024) overnight stays, respectively.

Positive developments in foreign markets

With a 66 percent share of total overnight stays, Germany remains the most important source market: 2,546,618 domestic guests stayed overnight in Nuremberg, an increase of 6.2 percent over the previous year. Overnight stays by foreign guests rose to 1,317,883 million (up 14.6 percent), of which 899,204 overnight stays (up 12.3 percent) were accounted for by other European countries.

Strong international demand – China back in the top 10

The USA remains the strongest foreign market for Nuremberg with 172,088 overnight stays (up 14.8 percent), followed by Italy (97,594 overnight stays / up 23.6 percent) and Austria (82,232 overnight stays / up 7.5 percent). China recorded the highest growth with 42,667 overnight stays (up 48.2 percent), returning to 10th place among international markets for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic. Poland also performed strongly with 62,511 overnight stays (up 28.2 percent). Only the United Kingdom recorded a slight decline (82,187 overnight stays / minus 2.9 percent), which is probably due to the discontinuation of British Airways flights.

Award for the “Nuremberg Neighborhoods” campaign

On February 19, 2024, the “Nuremberg Neighborhoods – Love at First Step” campaign was awarded first place in the ADAC Tourism Prize Bavaria. The web app developed by CTZ invites guests and locals to explore Nuremberg's old town off the beaten track and discover hidden places in six different neighborhoods. With stories, images, videos, and audio clips, the app creates an interactive experience, strengthens the networking of stakeholders such as culture, gastronomy, and retail, and promotes the quality of stay. The campaign provides impetus for the development of the city center and strengthens the emotional connection to the city.

Annual campaign “Dining Affairs”

Under the motto “Dining Affairs – The variety of delights from Nuremberg's kitchens,” CTZ 2024 presented the city's fine dining scene. With nine Michelin restaurants and 15 Gault & Millau awards, Nuremberg proved itself to be a center for fine dining. The campaign highlighted regional strengths, such as products from the Knoblauchsland and Franconian Switzerland, and focused on innovative concepts, such as Felix Schneider's two Michelin-starred “etz.” Media representatives were provided with extensive content via the newly designed media room and were able to experience the culinary diversity on site during three media trips. “Dining Affairs” successfully positioned Nuremberg as a leading fine dining destination in the DACH region.

Outlook for 2025: Music festival campaign

For 2025, CTZ is planning a campaign centered around the city's music festivals. The focus will be on six major festivals that highlight Nuremberg as a music and cultural destination. In the spring, a hybrid press conference will provide initial insights into the campaign, followed by a landing page with information for end customers and a special section for media representatives. The campaign will be supplemented by media trips that offer journalists the opportunity to experience the festivals on site and report on them. The aim is to raise the profile of Nuremberg's diverse music scene and inspire visitors to attend these special events.