Falling tourist numbers: Why Berlin is losing its appeal

Things are looking bad for Berlin: the German capital seems to be becoming less and less interesting for tourists.

Visitor numbers rose for years, peaking in the record year of 2019, when Berlin recorded 34.1 million overnight stays. But a few years later, the trend seems to be reversing: in 2025, there were only 29.4 million overnight stays – a drop of almost 15%.

The majority of visitors to Berlin come from Germany: with 7.9 million of the total of 12.4 million visitors in 2025, they account for more than 60%.

Some of them are customers of city guide Reinhold Steinle. He specialises in tours in the Berlin-Neukölln district, known for its diversity and Arabic restaurants. “On the one hand, a lot of people really complain about the cleanliness, they are shocked by the pollution,” explains Steinle.

Around 54,000 cubic metres of illegally dumped waste was disposed of by Berlin’s city cleaning service BSR in 2024 – the same volume as 22 Olympic swimming pools. In some parts of the city, rubbish is now an integral part of the cityscape.

Many people also find the transport situation “very difficult”, Steinle continues. “Train cancellations, S-Bahn cancellations and overcrowded buses. That also causes frustration for many.”

Half of the clubs could be closed

Tourists are coming back less and less often because the “flair” and “appeal” of Berlin is diminishing, Steinle says. The city is becoming less and less exciting. “That has to do with culture, with the cuts in the cultural sector and the more difficult conditions for doing culture.”

The difficult conditions are clear to see: in the former techno capital, more and more clubs and cultural spaces are having to close. Around half of Berlin’s clubs are threatened with closure, according to the Clubcommission association.

A problem that Ludwig Eben could soon be facing too. He has been running the Humboldthain Club for a long time. But now a hotel is to be built next door.

“If a hotel is built there, the problem is that people want to sleep,” he says. “If the windows face the club, there’s a risk that noise reports will come in and sooner or later the club will have to close.”

“Club culture is important for tourists and also for everyone who lives in Berlin,” Eben continues. “The pandemic has shown how important meeting places are. Where else should people meet? At McDonalds?”

Eben is trying to fight this with all means at his disposal. He wants to ensure that the hotel is at least not allowed to build windows facing the club.

All members of the relevant district council would have voted in favour of preserving his club. But Eben still has nothing in black and white.

“I can’t extend the lease like this,” explains the club operator. “The city hasn’t changed for the better because places like this have actually all been eradicated. There are only a few things left that have attracted tourists here for a long time.”

The Berlin Senate for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises did not respond to an enquiry from Euronews.