Magdeburg is starting the new tourism era with 198 projects!

Magdeburg is starting the new tourism era with 198 projects!

The city of Magdeburg has adopted a new comprehensive tourism concept that aims to increase the city's appeal and significantly increase the number of guests. With a total of 198 individual projects, the city wants to create new leisure activities, cultural experiences and improved tourism infrastructure. Mayor Simone Borris describes the vision as a “capital of fascinating contrasts and innovative leisure and adventure worlds”. The initiative is intended to provide positive impetus for the local hotel, catering and retail industries, and to position Magdeburg as a modern, diverse city on the river in the national and international tourism market.

The representative for economy, tourism and regional cooperation, Sandra Yvonne Stieger, emphasizes the important role of tourism as an economic factor and as a bridge between people. In order to underpin the long-term strategy for positioning and developing Magdeburg as an attractive holiday destination, intensive work was carried out on the concept over a year. Magdeburg Marketing Kongress und Tourismus GmbH (MMKT) and the agency Project M led this process.

Focus on experience profiles

A central element of the tourism concept is the definition of four experience profiles: the green leisure metropolis on the river, the urban lifestyle with city history, surprising urban art and inspiring conference locations. In order to implement the measures effectively, 20 key projects were selected for the first step. MMKT boss Hardy Puls emphasizes the need to rethink and develop tourism in Magdeburg. Citizens, administration, politicians and decision-makers were actively involved in the creation of the concept.

The concept was developed as a response to the current challenges in tourism. In 2024, Magdeburg recorded a total of 449,202 guest arrivals, which represents an increase, although the number of overnight stays at 784,067 recorded a slight decrease of 0.3 percent compared to the previous year. In addition, the average length of stay fell to 1.7 days, while business travelers accounted for around two thirds of the overnight stays.

Challenges and opportunities

Particular attention is paid to the decline in guest arrivals from abroad by 0.5 percent and overnight stays by 2.2 percent. These developments are documented in the data from the monthly tourism survey, which refers to accommodation establishments with ten or more beds and campsites with ten or more parking spaces. The main reasons for the increase in guest numbers have been identified: sights, cultural offerings and the sporting successes of 1. FC Magdeburg (FCM) and SC Magdeburg (SCM) play a significant role in keeping the city attractive.

With the implementation of the new tourism concept, the city plans to move forward quickly and in a structured manner to develop Magdeburg into a tourist beacon in Germany. Nevertheless, it remains to be seen how the initiatives will affect the long-term development of guest numbers and tourism value creation.