Germany targets 10 lakh Indian tourists next year

New Delhi: Germany is targeting 10 lakh overnight stays by Indian tourists in the country in 2026, after narrowly missing the goal this year, according to a German National Tourist Office India official.

German National Tourist Office (GNTO) India, the official representative office of the German National Tourist Board, expects to close 2025 with 9.6 lakh overnights into Germany by Indian tourists, GNTO Director of Marketing & Sales Office - India, Romit Theophilus, said.

"We want a growth of 10 per cent year on year. That's our growth projection till 2030 at least. Our goal is now to first reach the 1 million (overnights) and then double that to 2 million," he said when asked how Germany is looking at Indian tourist arrivals in the country going forward.

GNTO India was hoping to cross the 10 lakh milestone in 2025, but it did not happen due to a variety of factors, including visa issues and tourists choosing to travel to other countries. Asked if the target could be achieved in 2026, Theophilus said, "We will definitely cross 1 million...We are hoping to do (Indian) weddings (as well) in Germany in 2026." lready 60,000 students are visiting Germany. Their families will also go visit them, and a lot more will happen on this front of "visiting friends and relatives", he said, adding, "So we know that we will hit this target quite closely next year." As for 2025, he said, "I see us at about 9.6 lakh, which is good, because it's still better than 2019. It is still showing a growth every year of about 5 to 7 per cent."

In 2029, the number was at its peak with 9.5 lakh overnights before the Covid-19 pandemic hit.

He said 9.5 lakh overnights into Germany represent about 3 lakh to 3.5 lakh people, and in 2024, 1.1 billion euros were spent by Indian tourists in Germany. Indian tourists are spending more time in Germany with the average length of stay exceeding nine nights. In the January-October period 2025, there have been 7,75,294 overnight stays, as per GNTO data.