Travel and tourism

The industry in figures, Tourism network, Tourism for Hessen - goals and measures, Visitors to Hessen.

The industry in figures

Hesse is extremely popular as a travel destination: with around 35.6 million overnight stays in 2019, the previous year's results were exceeded for the tenth time in a row. Around 11.9 million arrivals and around 27.4 million overnight stays were accounted for by travellers from Germany - an increase of 3.0 percent.

Guests from abroad

Overnight stays by foreign guests increased by 0.9 per cent, bringing the total number of overnight stays from abroad to almost 8.2 million. The most important foreign countries of origin are

• USA
• Netherlands
• China
• Great Britain
• Switzerland
• Italy and
• Arab Gulf States.

Hessen has responded to the continuously growing importance of China for the tourism industry by launching an internet presentation specially tailored to the needs of Chinese guests. There is also a magazine in Chinese, which is distributed on China Southern Airlines flights to Frankfurt, among others.

Important economic sector

Tourism is a steadily growing economic sector for Hesse, providing jobs for around 230,000 Hessians. The gross turnover from overnight and day tourism is around 13.7 billion euros per year. This results in income totalling around 6.5 billion euros. Tourism's share of national income is estimated at 3.8 per cent. In addition to this economic significance, tourism is also an important image factor for the country.

Tourism network

The online platform "Tourismusnetzwerk Hessen" connects the organisations at state level, the various regions and cities as well as all those involved in tourism. It serves the communication and efficient exchange of tourism partners and provides all tourism companies in Hesse with the most important information about the federal state in a centralised and bundled form.

Background information and practical tips

The platform provides information on the state's tourism policy framework, marketing, quality management, funding and financing. Guides from various thematic areas are available, as well as further links to training courses and calls for tenders. Destinations and partner cities are presented with their own profile and marketing strategy.

Interested parties can also subscribe to a weekly newsletter that summarises the latest articles.

HA Hessen Agentur GmbH and Hessischer Tourismusverband e.V. run the Hesse Tourism Network as a joint project. The "Tourism Network" concept was created in Rhineland-Palatinate in 2012. In 2016, it was introduced in Thuringia and in 2017 in Baden-Württemberg as well as Hesse.

• Tourism Network Hesse
• Newsletter

Tourism for Hesse - goals and measures

The positive development confirms that tourism is an industry of the future for Hesse. An important goal of the state government is therefore to optimise the economic potential and increase the competitiveness of the tourism industry. The focus here is on an attractive public tourism infrastructure and a high quality of the offer. At the same time, marketing is focussed on promising themes, target groups and source markets.

As "travelling for all" is becoming increasingly important due to demographic change, Hessen is also set to gradually develop into a barrier-free destination.

To promote tourism, the Ministry of Economic Affairs utilises funds from the state, the federal government (federal-state joint task "Improvement of the regional economic structure") and the European Union (European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)).

Funding for tourism projects

In the last ten years, around 48 million euros in funding has been used for the high-quality expansion of public tourism infrastructure. Some examples from the wide range of projects:

• Adventure programmes at Sababurg Zoo in Hofgeismar
• Lahn Marble Museum in Villmar
• "wortreich" world of knowledge and language experience in Bad Hersfeld
• Grimm World in Kassel
• Geowelt Fortuna adventure landscape in Solms-Oberbiel
• Barrier-free reorganisation on the lakeshore and water attraction in Gedern
• "Vulkaneum" information centre in Schotten
• Expansion of the Luther Trail in Hesse
• Tourist information centre on the Hoherodskopf in the Vogelsberg
• Expansion and redesign of the lagoon adventure pool in Willingen
• New construction of the visitor centre at Lake Edersee in Edertal

Support for companies in the tourism industry

Tourism companies have access to the funding opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises. They are supported by loans from the Wirtschafts- und Infrastrukturbank Hessen and - in the structurally weaker parts of the state - by grants for

• business start-ups
• business expansions
• fundamental modernisation

Grants are available for business counselling and training.

• Promotion of public tourism infrastructure
• Promotion of tourism services
• Promotion of companies by the state of Hesse
• Promotion of digitalisation measures
• WIBank programmes for start-ups and companies
• Demographic change and its consequences

Visiting Hesse

Hesse is a diverse and attractive holiday destination. The low mountain ranges such as the Rhön, Taunus and Rothaargebirge or the Middle Rhine Valley are ideal for hiking holidays. Numerous long-distance cycle paths such as the Lahn Valley Cycle Path and the Weser Cycle Path offer ideal routes for active holidaymakers. Whether Wiesbaden, Kassel, Darmstadt or vibrant Frankfurt - city holidaymakers will also find many exciting destinations in Hesse. Picturesque landscapes, UNESCO World Heritage Sites or art highlights - there is something for everyone in Hesse.
And more and more travellers are being drawn to Hesse - as the number of overnight stays shows: In 2019, there were around 35.6 million overnight stays by holidaymakers and business travellers (including tourist camping). This puts Hesse in fifth place among the federal states. The particular strengths of the tourism offering in Hesse lie in

• City experiences
• days out
• wellness
• Nature and countryside experiences

The brochure "Unterwegs In Hessen" can be ordered in paper form under Information on the Destination Hessen.

• Information on Hesse as a holiday destination
• Spas in Hesse