Bonn can look back on a very positive tourism development in terms of both supply and demand. Nevertheless, there is room for improvement, particularly in terms of profiling and focus. Competitors have been able to set much stronger accents here.

Tourism development has been characterized by a steady upward trend over the last ten years. Bonn recorded rising numbers of guests and overnight stays until the start of the coronavirus pandemic - in the period under review from 2010 to 2019, the number of overnight stays in commercial establishments rose by 45% to a total of 1.7 million (2019).

The negative effects of the pandemic were also felt massively in Bonn. Between 2019 and 2020, the federal city suffered a sharp drop in demand of -56% and only achieved around 756,000 overnight stays.

However, there has been a slight recovery since 2021 (+11%). The majority of Bonn's guests come from Germany (around 79%). The share of foreign guests in total overnight stays has remained comparatively constant over the past ten years up to 2019, with values between 23% and 21%.

Tourism is a frequently underestimated economic factor for Bonn. In 2019, it generated a turnover of almost 1.3 billion euros and secures many incomes and jobs. It benefits not only the tourism service providers themselves, but also the people who live in the federal city.

Tourism is a classic cross-sector industry. Whether it is the hospitality industry, retail trade, service providers or suppliers such as regional manufacturers and craft businesses - there is hardly a sector of the economy that does not benefit from tourism. Investments by local authorities and companies in tourism-related infrastructure, specific products and tourism marketing are therefore worthwhile. This makes it all the more important to be aware of the impact and relevance of tourism for the economy in Bonn.

Bonn enjoys a very high profile among German travelers due to its capital city past, but this is not sufficiently translated into sympathy and willingness to visit. There is a lack of showcase products or specific reasons to travel.

According to the Destination Brand Study (2020/21), Bonn enjoys a high level of awareness among German travelers (76 percent know Bonn as a travel destination at least by name), but is unable to convert this high level of awareness into sympathy (only 34 percent of all respondents rate Bonn as a generally likeable travel destination) and an active willingness to visit (only 18 percent of respondents are considering taking a short overnight trip to Bonn in the next three years; 13 percent are considering a longer overnight trip).

Compared to other major cities in Germany, the federal city is only in the lower third of the scale in terms of the survey values of likeability and willingness to travel. The external tourist view of Bonn is rather diffuse. Visitors to Bonn are generally enthusiastic about the city once they are there. What is often still lacking when it comes to acquiring new customers in private individual tourism are concrete reasons for (potential) guests to travel to Bonn.

Bonn's target group focus appears unclear to the outside world. This needs to be clarified and underpinned with attractive, suitable products, offers and marketing activities.

The local perception of Bonn has so far been that it is primarily a destination for culturally aware, politically interested, well-off best agers, who often travel individually and in small groups. There are also group travelers who come to the city on river cruise ships or coaches. Business travelers and conference and congress participants also play an important role.

They all enjoy the cultural offerings and the city's attractive location on the Rhine and close to the Siebengebirge mountains and like to combine their stay with nature experiences and activities in the surrounding area.

The local tourism partners see potential for the future among younger, "up-and-coming" target groups such as young couples and families with children. Overall, however, there is no clear target group focus in the external image. In most cases, the information and offers are not very focused on the individual needs of travelers and there is a lack of suitable products (ideally in connection with events and hosts).

Various themes are addressed and activities launched in (tourism) marketing. At the same time, however, Bonn's external image loses itself in its thematic diversity and appears rather neutral in terms of text and imagery. A stronger focus and a more emotional visual language and storytelling are required for the future.

Bonn has numerous activities, projects and marketing campaigns, including the Beethoven anniversary year 2020, Bonn as a city of the United Nations (Climate Secretariat) and political Bonn.

These many topics mean that the city sometimes gets lost in the variety of brand messages and fails to set a real focus. Many events run parallel and uncoordinated to one another. Bonn lacks a tourism brand strategy that gives it specificity.

In the future, it will be important to act according to the motto "less is more" by developing a clear self-image and limiting oneself to a few so-called showcase products and "travel-inducing" offers.

Bonn scores particularly well in the cultural/museum sector with its first-class tourist attractions. However, there is often a lack of concrete experienceability in the potentially profiling key themes. In some cases, there is a lack of visitor facilities that (could) have a magnetic effect. In some places, the infrastructural welcome and quality of stay leaves something to be desired. There is a need for action here.

Bonn's cultural offerings are impressive with Beethoven, the Museum Mile with five major museums and the political and historical sites from the German capital's past. The attractive location on the Rhine and in the immediate vicinity of the Siebengebirge rounds off the offer, as does the variety of accommodation for different requirements.

However, the actual experience for tourists on site is limited for various topics (e.g. democracy/politics, United Nations, climate change/sustainability, Limes World Heritage Site). There is a lack of high-quality visitor facilities that (could) have a magnetic effect.

Another problem is the quality of welcome and quality of stay in selected places in Bonn, which is in need of improvement. This concerns aspects such as safety, cleanliness, information facilities and clean public toilets. These weaknesses can be seen in many places in the cityscape, particularly in the central station area, on the banks of the Rhine, but also in the city center. In order to create a pleasant atmosphere for visitors and locals, appropriate infrastructural measures are urgently needed.

Too many players and organizations are involved in tourism in Bonn - with negative effects for guests and partners. A bundling of activities and contact persons is necessary.

A large number of stakeholders and organizations in Bonn are involved in tourism and tourism marketing: the spectrum of contacts ranges from Bonn-Information at the Office for Economic Development, the Marketing Service at the Office for Press, Protocol and Public Relations, other areas of the administration, Tourismus & Congress GmbH Region Bonn/Rhein-Sieg/Ahrweiler (T&C) to other institutions such as Citymarketing Bonn e. V. and the actors in the neighbouring Rhein-Sieg district.

This makes it difficult for guests and partners alike to "access information" about Bonn and leads to marketing wastage. Greater bundling, coordination and harmonization of (marketing) activities are required.

The population's identification with tourism is still too weak and the appreciation of the industry as an economic factor is ambivalent. Although the locals are aware of the attractiveness of their city, they still do not actively communicate these advantages to the outside world.

Tourism is of great importance to Bonn, has been "learned" through its many years as a former federal capital and is lived in the form of numerous (cultural) offers and events.

However, it is only partially recognized as an important economic factor. The population loves its city, knows about its attractiveness, its location, its high recreational value and its potential. On the other hand, they still do not take on the role of active "ambassador" to the outside world enough. The population needs to be more actively addressed and involved in order to promote tourism awareness and identity building.

Sustainability, digitalization and travel for all have become an integral part of social change in tourism. Good approaches have been made, but further steps must follow.

When it comes to sustainability, Bonn is already well on its way through many of its own municipal activities, the Climate Change Secretariat (UNFCCC) and the many other non-governmental organizations active in this field. Bonn-Information and T&C are also pursuing sustainability activities in tourism, targeting both individual tourists and business travelers.

In the MICE sector, sustainability needs to be brought back into focus and promoted more actively, and there is also room for improvement in tourism businesses.

The same applies to Travel for All, where Bonn-Information is setting a good example and has received "Travel for All" certification.

Digitalization has also received a major boost in tourism due to coronavirus. Awareness of the need in this area is evident in Bonn and there are some good approaches to digital products, including the new City Stories app from the City Museum and participation in the Data Hub NRW project to pool digital data and improve digital visibility. Nevertheless, there is still a lot to do in this field.