Tourism figures 2019: Another plus in Münsterland

MUNSTERLAND. According to Information und Technik Nordrhein-Westfalen (IT.NRW), the number of reported overnight stays by guests in Münsterland also rose in 2019 by 0.4 per cent compared to the same period of the previous year and thus more strongly than in the previous year. The number of guest arrivals also rose slightly by 0.8 per cent. Thus, around 1.757 million guests came to the region and generated 4.02 million overnight stays.

Analogous to the last few years, the tourism figures for the Münsterland have thus risen again, even if somewhat less than the years before.

Michael Kösters, general representative and tourism expert at Münsterland e.V., emphasises: "Of course the increases are pleasing, but we - politics, media and tourism industry - should move more towards looking at more than just the purely quantitative demand statistics. Overnight stays and arrivals must always be put into perspective, for example in relation to the development of supply, special events or a longer period of time. For example, a comparison with the previous year is often not as meaningful as a longer period of observation. For example, from 2008 to 2018, we were able to record an increase in overnight stays of a good third in Münsterland, while at the same time the number of beds on offer 'only' increased by about 15 per cent."

In addition to quantity, quality is also important, he said. "The focus should also be on qualitative development, such as increasing guest satisfaction or the growth in total value added, i.e. the contribution to economic output from tourism." To this end, Kösters said, "together with the other regions in NRW and Tourismus NRW e.V., we want to invest more in market research in the course of the new state tourism strategy in order to be able to identify and react to corresponding developments."

Klaus Ehling, board member of Münsterland e.V., adds: "If we want to remain competitive, we as a region have to invest permanently in offers, quality, service and marketing. To this end, we have initiated and are implementing various large-scale tourism and regional development projects together with our partners in the region. We also have to work more intensively on a closer interlinking of tourism and location development and provide answers to organisational questions on destination development, i.e. the distribution of tasks at the state, regional and local levels."

The complete figures for all districts, cities and municipalities in Münsterland can be downloaded from the IT.NRW website.