Visitor arrivals remained broadly stable compared with the first half of 2025, when the German capital received 6 million guests. Overnight stays declined by 2.7% from 13.9 million in the corresponding period last year.
Visitors stayed in Berlin for an average of 2.3 days during the January-June period. The figures reflect weaker economic conditions across several source markets.
Domestic demand remained a significant component of Berlin’s tourism performance. The number of visitors from Germany increased by 1.8% year on year to 3.9 million.
German visitors generated 8.3 million overnight stays during the first six months of the year, representing a decline of 0.3% compared with 2025.
Jürgen Amann, Managing Director of visitBerlin, said: “The virtually stable number of visitors shows that Berlin has strong appeal. With major trade fairs such as IFA and Innotrans, sporting events and conferences in the second half of the year, Berlin is well placed to attract additional demand and appeal to new target groups.”
Sabine Wendt, Managing Director of visitBerlin, said: “It is important for Berlin to develop high-profile travel events and attractive offers that make Berlin an even more exciting destination and encourage visitors to stay longer. In doing so, we boost the value added for the city and create sustainable momentum for tourism.”
International demand declined during the first half of the year. Berlin received approximately 2 million overseas visitors, down 4.1% compared with the same period of 2025, while international overnight stays fell by 6.4% to 5.2 million.
The United Kingdom remained Berlin’s largest international source market, generating 564,000 overnight stays between January and June, down 5.7% year on year.
The United States ranked second with 511,000 overnight stays, a decrease of 9.9%. The Netherlands followed with 361,000 overnight stays, representing growth of 2.3% compared with the first half of 2025.
A series of major trade fairs, sporting events, conferences and cultural events are scheduled in Berlin during the second half of 2026.
IFA will take place from 4 to 8 September, bringing international exhibitors and visitors from the technology sector to the city. The FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup will run concurrently from 4 to 13 September.
InnoTrans, one of the world’s major trade fairs for transport technology, is scheduled from 22 to 25 September. The BMW Berlin-Marathon will follow on 26 and 27 September, attracting runners and visitors from international markets.
The Festival of Lights Berlin will take place from 9 to 18 October. The World Health Summit is scheduled from 11 to 13 October and will bring together representatives from politics, science, business and society.
Neurowoche will take place from 4 to 7 November, combining several major medical conferences. Berlin Freedom Week will follow from 7 to 14 November, with the Berlin Freedom Conference scheduled for 10 November.
Christmas markets across the city’s districts are scheduled to begin from late November. Berlin’s congress calendar for 2026 will conclude with the European Headache Congress from 9 to 12 December, bringing international specialists in headache research to the German capital.
Tags:Jürgen Amann, visitBerlin
