With some 1.93 million overnight stays and 1.11 million arrivals, more people visited Hannover in 2010 than in any other year since the EXPO year 2000, when around two million overnight stays were registered.
“This is a great success for us,” said Hans Christian Nolte, director of Hannover Marketing and Tourism, after presenting the figures at the ITB in Berlin. “Particularly in view of the volcanic ash problem during the Hannover Messe in April and the relatively few trade fairs that took place in 2010 overall, it is a sensational result.”
Altogether, 115,662 more overnight visitors were registered in Hannover in 2010 than in 2009. Also noteworthy is the long-term upward trend in overnight stays. In 1999 the figure was around 1.1 million, 11 years later it has risen by more than 70 per cent.
This upswing in tourism also makes a positive impact on Hannover’s economy. On the basis of a study by dwif-Consulting, HMTG calculates that overnight visitors spent some €382 million in Hannover, with 65 per cent (€248 million) going to the hotel and catering sector, 20 per cent (€76 million) to the retail trade and 15 per cent (€57 million) to services.
The increase in overnight visitors is also reflected in the sales of the “experience packages” HMTG offers for events such as the international fireworks competition. Sales of these packages generated 5,717 overnight stays in 2010, as against 4,245 in 2009.
One factor in the growth in overnight stays in 2010 was the enormous expansion in the number of foreign tourists visiting the city. There was a year-on-year increase of 17.5 per cent in visitor arrivals from abroad, and of 8.9 per cent in the number staying overnight. The largest contingent were the British, followed by the Dutch and the Swedes.
But the number of German visitors increased too. Overnight stays were up by 5.7 per cent year on year, and arrivals by 5.5 per cent. On average, visitors stayed in Hannover for 1.7 days.
“Hannover is a green city with lots to offer, including highlights such as the Herrenhausen Gardens, Germany’s most spectacular zoo, countless top-notch cultural events and plenty of opportunities for shopping,” says Nolte, “and we have succeeded in communicating this both in Germany and abroad.”
Another factor contributing to the increase in overnight visitors was the expansion in the flights available to and from Hannover’s Langenhagen Airport, where Germanwings started operations in 2010. Furthermore, the number of trade fair visitors has recovered after the recession.
For 2011, HMTG is planning a further expansion of its marketing activities abroad. Hannover is being promoted not only in the Netherlands but also in Sweden, Belgium and Denmark.
As this will coincide with a busy year for trade fairs, HMTG director Nolte is convinced overnight stays will increase again in 2011.
“We are expecting to break the EXPO record this year,” he declared.