Tourism figures 2023: Record high for the Münsterland

IT.NRW publishes figures on overnight stays and guest arrivals for the full year 2023

The Münsterland is more popular than ever with tourists. This is confirmed by the 2023 tourism figures published by Information und Technik Nordrhein-Westfalen (IT.NRW) this Thursday morning. "The number of overnight stays and guest arrivals in the Münsterland has never been as high as in 2023. Up to and including October 2023, we recorded more overnight stays in officially registered establishments than in any other previous year over a twelve-month period. This is very pleasing, especially since the figures in our region have developed much more positively in percentage terms than in other regions in North Rhine-Westphalia in the last pre-corona year 2019," emphasises Michael Kösters, Head of Tourism at Münsterland e.V., in an initial assessment. According to figures from IT.NRW, overnight stays in the Münsterland travel region rose by 17.7 per cent to 4,733,695 in 2023 compared to 2019, the last pre-coronavirus year.

At 3.8 per cent, the number of guest arrivals in 2023 has risen less than the number of overnight stays compared to 2019, but: "Our hosts in particular are pleased that guests are staying an average of 2.6 days longer than before the pandemic at 2.3 days," explains Kösters.

According to the tourism expert, there are many reasons for this positive development: on the one hand, the region is benefiting from the ongoing trend towards tourism in Germany, particularly outdoor and active tourism. On the other hand, bed capacity in the Münsterland also increased by around seven per cent in December 2023 compared to 2019. Finally, the rising figures are closely linked to the consistent development of the Münsterland regional brand, emphasises Kösters: "Through continuous marketing and in cooperation with the region's tourism stakeholders, we have succeeded in sharpening the profile of the Münsterland destination both internally and externally, focusing even more strongly on popular themes and addressing target groups even better. We want people to know that they can enjoy THE GOOD LIFE here. The Münsterland has so much to offer: it is a cycling and riding region, boasts more than 100 castles and palaces, epitomises the picnic lifestyle like no other region and is worth a trip at any time, both in the city and in the countryside."

"However, the mere statistics mask the major challenges in the hospitality industry," Kösters relativises. "After all, rising tourism figures do not automatically mean that turnover has increased to the same extent compared to the period before the pandemic. In addition, the hospitality industry is struggling with significantly rising costs, including the VAT adjustment and the increasing shortage of skilled labour and service staff." In this respect, it is important to "continue to support the industry and work on the positioning and promotion of the destination. Tourism is not only a cross-sectoral industry with diverse and increasing effects on other industries, areas of work and life, but as an economic sector it is also tied to the location and therefore very relevant for local turnover, wages and profits."

According to Kösters, investments must therefore continue to be made in the future and on an ongoing basis: in infrastructure, service and digitalisation as well as in sustainability and marketing the region both internally and externally. "This is the only way we can succeed as a region in the face of competition and make the Münsterland even better known, more attractive and stronger." For this reason, Münsterland e.V. has been participating in two funding projects on behalf of the region since the beginning of 2024 ("Nachhaltigkeitswerkstatt.NRW" and "Tourismus Data Intelligence Initiative NRW") with 80 per cent funding from Tourismus NRW e.V.

www.muensterland.com/tourismus