News & Updates

These findings are based on the latest results of the Meeting & EventBarometer 2025/26 as well as data from the IPK World Travel Monitor on international business travel. They were presented during an online briefing by the German National Tourist Board (GNTB), the GCB German Convention Bureau and the European Association of Event Centres (EVVC).

Development of Business Travel in German Incoming Tourism
According to IPK International’s World Travel Monitor, Germany maintained its position in 2025 as the world’s leading business travel destination with a market share of 10 per cent. Globally, 11 per cent of traditional business trips were to Germany, placing it first worldwide.

In absolute terms, the international business travel market declined in 2025. For Germany, this meant a year-on-year decrease of 6 per cent to 13.8 million trips, according to IPK International analyses commissioned by the GNTB. One in five trips from Europe to Germany in 2025 was a business trip, which amounts to 11.2 million trips in this category (minus 6 per cent). The decline is due to traditional business travel (minus 16 per cent), while promotable business trips (MICE) remained broadly stable (plus 0.1 per cent).

Among trips from overseas markets to Germany, 32 per cent were for business purposes. Overall, business travel volume fell by 3 per cent to 2.6 million trips. Traditional business travel declined by 10 per cent, while promotable business travel increased by 1 per cent.

Petra Hedorfer, chairwoman of the GNTB’s executive board, comments: “The global business travel market is undergoing rapid change. The decline in traditional business travel reflects both the shifting global economic environment and structural change driven by digital transformation. By contrast, promotable business trips are proving stable. In international comparison, Germany remains by a clear margin the number one business travel destination in 2025. Growth opportunities are emerging in the bleisure segment: According to data from Quality Monitor Germany Tourism (by DWIF), an ongoing nationwide survey of both domestic and international visitors, 16 per cent of international business travellers extended their trip to Germany for leisure purposes between November 2024 and October 2025. This represents an increase of two percentage points compared with November 2023 to October 2024. Overall, however, the operating environment for business travel has become significantly more challenging since early 2025. Escalating trade conflicts and the Middle East war since late February 2026 are creating uncertainty for the global economy and, by extension, international business travel. Internationalisation and digital transformation therefore remain key factors in ensuring Germany’s long-term competitiveness as a leading business travel destination.”

Bleisure Travel: Additional Potential for Inbound Tourism
With an average of 1.6 additional nights, bleisure trips create more touchpoints with the destination, stimulate tourism demand and generate added value beyond the core purpose of business trips. The main drivers for extending work trips are Germany’s cultural and urban offerings. Where meetings and events intersect with attractive experiences, culture and leisure opportunities, measurable added value is created for Germany as a destination.

Germany as a Robust and Internationally Attractive Event Destination
According to IPK International, Germany remains the world’s leading destination for business travel of all types. While traditional business travel continues to decline, trips to trade fairs, meetings, seminars, congresses and incentives remain stable and account for 64 per cent of all international business travel to Germany. Overall, 9 per cent of global MICE travel in 2025 went to Germany.

According to the IPK International data, the key source markets for event-related travel to Germany are primarily European countries such as Switzerland, France, Austria and the United Kingdom, while long-haul markets such as the USA and China are also recovering. “International demand for events in Germany remains robust. Around 80 per cent of international guests come from Europe. The German events market is therefore maintaining its competitiveness despite a persistently volatile geopolitical environment and an overall challenging backdrop,” says Matthias Schultze, Managing Director of the GCB.

This continued internationalisation is also reflected in the latest Meeting & EventBarometer, which covers the entire events market, including business and leisure events: “The share of 10.7 per cent international attendees at events in Germany highlights the importance of purpose-led travel linked to business events,” Schultze adds.

Attendance Figures: Trend Towards Larger Business Events
In total, 395.1 million people chose to attend an event in Germany in person last year. This represents a 4.6 per cent increase compared with 2024 (377.6 million). At 2.02 million, the total number of in-person events remained stable compared with 2024. The average event duration also remained unchanged at 1.7 days. Within the business events segment, there is a clear trend towards larger events: across almost all size categories with 1,000 or more attendees, the number of business events increased in 2025, with growth rates of between 0.2 to 4.6 per cent.

Increasing Internationalisation Among Organisers
A total of 88.3 per cent of event organisers are based in Germany. At the same time, client-side internationalisation is increasing: in 2025, the share of event organisers from abroad rose to 11.7 per cent, compared with 9.9 per cent the previous year. Leading source markets for organisers include neighbouring European countries, with Austria in first place, followed by the United Kingdom and USA, and Switzerland and the Netherlands in fourth and fifth place respectively. Overall, companies represent the largest group of organisers, accounting for 52.5 per cent.

German Venues Enjoy Strong Customer Loyalty
With 40 per cent regular clients (four or more bookings) and 31 per cent returning clients (one to three bookings), the 2025 data show that German venues have a high proportion of loyal customers. Event centres have the highest share of regular clients. “These figures underline the high quality and excellent standards of German venues. They also highlight their strong resilience: The fact that, according to venue operators, three quarters of their clients are loyal customers, underscores both the attractiveness and the stability of what German venues have to offer,” says Ilona Jarabek, president of the EVVC. These figures are also largely reflected in data from event organisers in the Meeting & EventBarometer surveys.

Outlook: Positive Despite Expected Geopolitical Challenges
While most stakeholders in the events industry expect geopolitical challenges to impact the sector over the next three years, both suppliers and organisers remain optimistic in the near term. 87 per cent of organisers expect the event planning situation to be (very) good, while around two thirds of venues (61 per cent) also report (very) good booking levels for the year. This positive outlook reflects an industry that is actively shaping its structural transformation with a focus on long-term resilience and future viability.

The full management summary of the Meeting & EventBarometer is available to download free of charge here.