Whilst German hoteliers, as the host country, were perhaps always going to be the big winners of the UEFA Euro 2024 tournament, data from DidaTravel has revealed a further breakdown on how the event has impacted local tourism.
The tech-driven global travel wholesaler disclosed that bookings via its platform has found the ‘winning’ city would have to be Gelsenkirchen, which is experiencing a remarkable 786% increase in year-on-year bookings.
Other cities have also seen significant growth, too with Leipzig (570%), Dortmund (329%), Munich (124%), and Frankfurt (62%).
The full-year performance data also indicated that cities such as Cologne, Düsseldorf, Stuttgart, Berlin and Hamburg have also benefited from this surge in tourism.
Overall, the average daily rate (ADR) for hotels across Germany, based on DidaTravel’s bookings – which come from travel agents, tour operators, online travel agencies and more in source markets across the globe – has increased by 35% during the tournament compared to the same period last year.
The study from DidaTravel also revealed that the average length of stay remains consistent with last year, averaging about two days per destination.
There has however been a notable shift in the booking window, which increased from 17 days in advance to 28 days, with travellers keen to secure accommodation further in advance.
Gareth Matthews, CMO of DidaTravel, said: “Clearly for smaller cities such as Gelsenkirchen, a destinaton not used to such high demand – regardless of how their national team performs in the tournament – they’ll have much to celebrate.
“For travel sellers around the world this underscores the importance of working with a B2B accommodation partner who can source hotels in secondary and tertiary destinations, at the right rates and with availability on the right dates, something we ensured we had in place well ahead of the tournament.”
