According to the Berlin-Brandenburg Statistics Office, 5.8 million guests visited Berlin in the first half of 2015, up 4.9 percent on the same period the previous year. Overnight stays rose 4.8 percent to 13.8 million, which translates to an average demand of around 38,000 guest beds per night. The average stay lasted 2.4 nights.
International visitors: Shifts in origin
2.2 million international guests came to Berlin. The largest groups were visitors from the United Kingdom, the United States and Italy, who together accounted for 26 percent of all foreign guests.
Russian numbers, by contrast, collapsed. Guest arrivals fell 19.5 percent, overnight stays 23.7 percent. Experts attribute this less to the political situation than to the decline of the rouble. For many Russians, travel to Germany has simply become too expensive.
Connection to the property market
The steady flow of tourists drives demand for temporary accommodation. Hotels, hostels and guesthouses benefit, and in tourist-heavy areas like Mitte or Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, short-term rentals are a relevant factor.
Tourism also affects the regular rental market indirectly: employees in the hotel and hospitality sector look for apartments in Berlin, often in boroughs like Neukölln or Lichtenberg, where rents are still more affordable.
The rising visitor numbers confirm Berlin's position as an international travel destination. For owners and investors following the Berlin apartment market, tourism is a factor worth considering when assessing locations, though increasingly a regulatory one too, as the debate around short-term rental restrictions is gaining momentum.
