- Continued qualitative development of the guest mix
- Around 4.25 million guests and—for the first time—more than 7.22 million overnight stays
- Turnover from tourism amounts to €5.51 billion
- Digitalization, sustainability and stakeholder management as key areas of action in 2025
Overall, tourism in Cologne had a very successful year in 2025. Even without major international sporting events as in the previous year, Cologne was able to continue its positive development as a tourist destination. In the year 2025, Cologne recorded around 4.25 million guests and 7.22 million hotel overnight stays. Increases of 2.3% in arrivals and 1.9% in overnight stays represent further growth compared to the previous year and the previous peak figures of 2024. This confirms Cologne’s position as one of Germany’s leading destinations for city trips. Once again, the focus was not only on quantitative growth, but above all on the further qualitative development of tourism. Tourism’s added value continued to develop very favourably. Guests generated €5.51 billion in turnover in the city. These figures emphasise the successful strategic orientation of the Cologne Tourist Board, which prioritizes sustainable value creation, high-quality offerings, and a maintaining a good balance between guests and the local community. Dr Jürgen Amann, the CEO of KölnTourismus GmbH (the Cologne Tourist Board), drew a positive conclusion: “2025 was a strong year for tourism in Cologne—even without the special effects provided by major international sporting events. This shows that our strategy of target group-oriented brand communication is successful alongside the resurgent sector of promotable business travel. We focus particularly on qualitative metrics: value creation, guest mix, and Cologne as a place to live are just as important to us as the classic key figures.”
Germany remains the most important source market, but internationality is on the rise
In 2025, Germany remained the most important source market for tourism in Cologne, accounting for 62.6% of total overnight stays. This stable demand from within Germany is an expression of our success in addressing target groups and the consistent strategic positioning of Cologne as an urban cultural destination. Particularly noteworthy is the increase in arrivals (+6.1%) and overnight stays (+5.8%) from abroad, which exceeded the national average and went against the trend observed in many major German cities. The most important foreign markets were the UK, the USA, and the Netherlands. The Turkish market performed particularly well and is a new entry in Cologne’s top 10 source markets. Accommodation supply showed moderate growth to a total of 38,865 hotel beds on offer. Average bed occupancy increased slightly compared to the previous year, highlighting the consistent demand throughout the year.
Qualitative development: changing guest mix and rising added value
In addition to the classic key figures, tourism in Cologne continues to develop very positively in qualitative terms. The structure of overnight guests shows a continuing shift towards a higher proportion of leading milieus as defined by the SINUS-Institut. These target groups are characterized by above-average purchasing power, a strong cultural interest, and a high affinity for urban offerings.
Max Derichsweiler, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of KölnTourismus GmbH, says, “The figures show that Cologne is increasingly reaching guests who not only visit, but also stay, consume, and appreciate the city. This qualitative development is crucial for sustainable value creation in tourism and confirms the course that the Cologne Tourist Board has taken.”
Overall, the event market in Cologne developed steadily in 2025. A total of 42,920 events were held at 218 venues last year, attracting a total of 7.8 million participants. This has enabled Cologne to further expand its position as an important trade fair, congress and conference center within the MICE segment (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, Events). October 2025 in particular proved to be a very strong month, not least due to the Anuga trade fair, which achieved a significant quality effect with high participant numbers and above-average hotel occupancy. The opening of the Confex congress center in 2024 also had a positive impact. It fills a previously existing gap in the congress sector and enables the permanent acquisition of larger events.
Review of 2025: consistent implementation of key areas of action
In 2025, the Cologne Tourist Board concentrated its resources on three key areas: digitalization, sustainability and stakeholder management.
The Cologne Tourist Board further expanded its pioneering role in the area of digitalization. It continued its participation in the KInK Tank AI think tank network and further incorporated the use of artificial intelligence in destination-related work. In addition, the VisitKöln web app—a digital service offering for the hotel industry—was created, thus setting another milestone in the innovative customer journey. Sustainability became even more important in 2025. The launch of the Cool and Calm Map initiated a concrete offer that provides both locals and visitors with orientation in the urban areas and contributes to climate-adapted urban development. There was also a particular focus on stakeholder management. Various campaigns and collaborations— which include Cologne’s bar and club scene, the cultural scene, the Fine Food Days, content creators, and partners from the LGBTQIA community—communicated Cologne’s tourism brand as a diverse, open, and creative city. The close involvement of local stakeholders not only strengthened the authenticity of these communication activities but also played an important role with regard to the acceptance of tourism measures within the urban community.
Outlook for 2026: making Cologne fit for the future and a place that is worth living in
In 2026, the Cologne Tourist Board will continue to focus on the qualitative development of tourism and positioning Cologne as a sustainable and liveable environment for citizens and guests. Key topics will include major cultural events such as the exhibition by Yayoi Kusama at the Museum Ludwig and the planned reopening of Cologne’s theatre and opera house. In addition, topics such as the new issue of K…wie Köln magazine (No. 5) on the subject of “Transformation” as well as the possible bid for the Olympic and Paralympic Games play an important role. In the MICE sector, the focus will be on continued participation in international trade formats and further raising Cologne’s profile as an innovative congress location.
Sources: Statistisches Landesamt IT.NRW, the European Institute for the Meeting Industry (EITW 2025), MGK 2025, dwif 2025
Images of Cologne to download: Media-Portal