Data from DidaTravel reveals German hoteliers to be the big winner in EURO 2024 tournament

12.07.2024 - 15:13 / traveldailynews.com / Theodore Koumelis

UEFA Euro 2024 significantly boosted German tourism, with Gelsenkirchen bookings soaring by 786%. Leipzig, Dortmund, Munich, and Frankfurt also saw substantial increases. The average daily hotel rate rose by 35%, and booking windows extended.

SHENZHEN, CHINA – 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 – a tech-driven global travel wholesaler – revealed a further breakdown on how the event has impacted local tourism.

Based on bookings via DidaTravel’s platform – one of the world’s biggest accommodation wholesalers worldwide – the ‘winning’ city would have to be Gelsenkirchen, which is experiencing an astonishing 786% increase in year-on-year bookings. Other cities have also seen significant growth: Leipzig (570%), Dortmund (329%), Munich (124%), and Frankfurt (62%). In addition, 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 EURO 2024 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, commented: “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.”

*** All data is based on bookings made through DidaTravel’s platform and distribution channels and compares full year performance to 28 June 2024 with the previous 12 months; 14 June 2024 to 14 July 2024 with the same period last year.

Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.