Berlin vs Hamburg
Hamburg leads Berlin by 4 points on the TRAIL Index, 78 to 74. Berlin grades better on 4 measures, Hamburg on 8; the same 37 measures from public sources for both.
Scores by each organisation's criteria
- TRAIL Index: Berlin 74, Hamburg 78
- OECD: Berlin 74, Hamburg 80
- UN Tourism: Berlin 78, Hamburg 84
- UNDRR: Berlin 63, Hamburg 67
Theme by theme
- Demand and seasonality: Berlin 71, Hamburg 79
- Economy and jobs: Berlin 75, Hamburg 75
- Climate and hazards: Berlin 65, Hamburg 70
- Water and environment: Berlin 88, Hamburg 88
- Community and housing: Berlin 81, Hamburg 94
- Access and continuity: Berlin 71, Hamburg 75
Where Berlin is stronger
- Nights in the three busiest months: 28.5 % of annual nights (Amt für Statistik Berlin-Brandenburg, Tourismus in Berlin / Pressemitteilung Nr. 22, 2024). At or below 30: grade 4/4.
- Average length of stay: 2.4 nights per visitor (Amt für Statistik Berlin-Brandenburg / visitBerlin, 2025). Between 2.2 and 2.8: grade 2/4.
- Municipal waste per resident: 231.6 kg per resident per year (Amt für Statistik Berlin-Brandenburg, Höchste Pro-Kopf-Abfallmenge in Cottbus / Abfallwirtschaft, 2024). At or below 350: grade 4/4.
- Early warning and emergency plan: An updated, tested plan that names visitors and tourism operators, with warnings in several languages (Berlin.de & Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK), 2024). Grade 4/4.
Where Hamburg is stronger
- Recovery against 2019: 106.7 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (Statistikamt Nord / Hamburg Tourismus GmbH (HHT Marktforschung), Monatlicher Tourismus-Überblick Januar - Dezember 2025, 2025). Between 100 and 110: grade 3/4.
- Hotel bed or room occupancy: 77 % average annual occupancy (Behörde für Wirtschaft und Innovation Hamburg / Hamburg Tourismus GmbH, reported via WELT and HOGAPAGE, 2025). At or above 75: grade 4/4.
- Wildfire and storm hazard: medium (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 2/4.
- Green space: 44.5 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (Hamburg Convention Bureau / Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, 2023). At or above 40: grade 4/4.
- Rent growth: 1.1 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Behörde für Stadtentwicklung und Wohnen Hamburg, Hamburger Mietenspiegel 2025, 2023–2025). At or below 3: grade 4/4.
- Resident support for tourism: 70 % of residents who say tourism benefits them or the city (Hamburg Tourismus GmbH / Hamburg Business, based on survey by German Institute for Tourism Research (FH Westküste) and Touristicon, 2024). At or above 70: grade 4/4.
- Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Hamburg Port Authority, Hamburg Airport, Deutsche Bahn, Die Autobahn GmbH, 2026). At or above 4: grade 4/4.
- Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source partly ring-fenced for residents, infrastructure or sustainability (Hamburgische Bürgerschaft / Hamburg Tourismus, Kultur- und Tourismustaxe, 2024–2025). Grade 3/4.
Country context (World Economic Forum)
- Germany: #6 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
- Germany: #6 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
Berlin in full · Hamburg in full
The TRAIL Index ranking · City vs city · How the index works · TRAIL Studio · Put your city in the pilot