Positive balance sheet presented for tourism in Dresden Elbland 2022

Travel destination Dresden Elbland: 4.8 million overnight stays and 2.2 million arrivals in 2022 are an increase of 61 per cent in overnight stays and 78 per cent in arrivals compared to 2021/ Recovery rate compared to 2019 is a good 79 per cent in overnight stays/ / Top foreign markets are Poland, the USA and Austria/ Conferences and major congresses are back in the state capital/ Implementation of the tourism strategy for Dresden begins.

Dresden Elbland is one of the top travel destinations in Germany for both domestic and international visitors. The 2022 tourism report published today shows that Dresden Elbland was able to build on the results of the pre-corona period despite difficult, primarily global conditions.

"We succeeded in capitalising on the general desire to travel and trends such as city breaks and active holidays in the 2022 travel year. With 4.8 million overnight stays in 2022, our recovery rate compared to our last record year 2019 is a very good 79 per cent. The fact that this result has been painstakingly achieved by the many players in tourism - such as the cultural sector, the hotel industry and the catering industry - is what the tourism year 2022 stands for. I would like to thank all those involved for their enormous commitment," says Annekatrin Klepsch, Mayor for Culture, Science and Tourism of the state capital Dresden. "Following successful recovery measures, we can now turn our attention to implementing our tourism strategy for Dresden, which was confirmed by the Dresden City Council at the end of 2022," says Klepsch. Another important strategic basis will be presented to the city council in 2023: the sustainability strategy for tourism in Dresden Elbland developed jointly by Dresden Marketing GmbH (DMG) and Tourismusverband Elbland Dresden e.V. (TVED) with the involvement of tourism partners.

Dresden Elbland's foreign markets are returning step by step, with the USA having made the most significant leap forward and is back in second place among the top foreign markets with 62,225 overnight stays in 2022. Poland (86,672 overnight stays) is in first place and Austria in third place (53,797 overnight stays), followed by Switzerland (51,442 overnight stays) and the Netherlands (50,974 overnight stays). "Germany is by far the largest market for Dresden Elbland, with around 4.1 million overnight stays in 2022. Nevertheless, other countries are very important for us because they account for an enormous volume of travel and secure long-term demand from tourists," says Corinne Miseer, Managing Director of DMG. The potential from Europe alone is enormous, where Germany is the fourth most popular international travel destination. According to the ETC report, 6.4 per cent of respondents are planning a trip to Germany next (source: market study "Exploring Consumer Travel Attitudes And Expectations To Drive Tourism Recovery" by the European Travel Commission, December 2022).

"The great perception and appreciation we have received through the recent Lonely Planet recommendation and the booking.com guest rating as one of the most hospitable cities in the world gives us a tailwind for our activities this year," adds Miseer.

The four key themes of culture, nature & active, family holidays and enjoyment continue to be at the centre of communication in Germany, Dresden Elbland's largest market, and the foreign source markets. The measures are implemented where the target groups are, via digital out-of-home measures with large formats as well as high-reach display ad campaigns, social ads and influencer projects. Advertisements and advertorials in a media mix optimised according to target groups complement the communication. In addition to tried-and-tested projects such as the official Dresden Elbland podcast, DMG is also focusing on new formats, such as audio advertising on Spotify.

The basis for target group-orientated marketing is the right local offer. "In order to bundle the existing family offers in the region and make them even easier to experience, the Tourismusverband Elbland Dresden e.V. developed the idea of a 'Dresden Elbland Challenge' and was honoured for it in the 'Innovation Competition Saxony Goes Further'. In this digital scavenger hunt, families solve puzzles, walk paths and learn interesting facts about the region in a fun way," says Bert Wendsche, First Deputy Chairman of the TVED.

"We are particularly pleased that the congress business has recovered after the slump caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Our recovery rate of 86 per cent in 2022 versus 2019 in terms of the number of events and 76 per cent in terms of the number of participants is proof of the efforts we have made to acquire congresses," says Miseer. While 2022 mainly saw conferences with an average of 600 participants, 2023 will again see numerous large-scale congresses with 1,000 or more and up to 7,500 guests in Dresden.

In order to attract conferences, congresses and incentives to the city in the short and long term, DMG is relying on a comprehensive online presence via the new landing page at www.dresden-convention.com and on direct acquisition. "We are also present as Dresden Convention Service at the leading trade fairs for the MICE industry, such as IMEX in May and IBTM in November," says Miseer.

The international MICE event "MCE Central & Eastern Europe 2023" at the end of January 2023 in Dresden is another example of how the investment in local cooperation is paying off. "We worked together to bring this important MICE event to Dresden and also worked together as highly professional hosts," says Sebastian Klink, CEO of Tourismusverband Dresden e.V. "Sustainability and digitalisation will be necessary and essential factors in order to successfully promote ourselves as a host to leisure and business travellers," adds Klink.

The interest in attractive travel destinations is enormous, as DMG was also able to register at its first trade fair appearances this year, such as FESPO - World of Travel in Zurich, CMT in Stuttgart and Vakantiebeurs in Utrecht. According to a recent DMG survey of Dresden Elbland hotels, guests' top reasons for travelling in 2023 are sightseeing (61 percent), city breaks (61 percent), cycling (61 percent) and Christmas (53 percent). (Source: DMG hotel survey in Dresden Elbland, January 2023).

"Here in Dresden and the Elbland region, we have everything we need to satisfy the great national and international desire to travel. With a wide range of offers and a very well-filled calendar of events, we invite you to visit Dresden Elbland," concludes Miseer.