Small markets achieved great success during the Euro.

The second most popular football tournament in the world, the UEFA European Championship, held every four years, is once again taking place on the international stage from June 14 to July 14. Excluding Euro 2020, which was held in several countries from England to Azerbaijan, this sporting event usually takes place in one or two host countries. This year, Germany was chosen as the main host of the tournament — it was the first time such an event has been held since the 2006 World Cup. The tournament covered many cities, including popular tourist destinations like Berlin and Munich, as well as lesser-known ones like Dortmund.

This tournament turned out to be a real gift for small towns. The average daily rate (ADR) in places like Dortmund has rapidly increased throughout the tournament. The BVB stadium in Dortmund hosted six matches, including the semi-final between England and the Netherlands, which led to a significant increase in revenue and occupancy. Dortmund recorded a30% increase in occupancyon match days compared to regular days between June 1 and July 14. A significant jump was especially noticeable on118%during the attendance at the Netherlands vs. England semifinal. Moreover, the price of rooms has sharply increased to433 eurosfor the specified match, compared to the minimum86 eurosJune 2nd and73 eurosthe next day after the game on June 12. Leipzig also turned out to be among the main winners, even though East Germany is not known as a traditional center of German football. Throughout the tournament, there was a noticeable...27 percent growththe difference in occupancy between match days and regular days, while the four matches held in Leipzig also showed significant jumps in ADR, similar to the situation in Dortmund.

Traditional tourist markets like Berlin and Munich have shown only slight growth in both occupancy and ADR, but have not reached the same levels as Dortmund and Leipzig. This is likely due to the usual demand being reduced—tourists who planned trips in a normal year chose to avoid large markets in anticipation of a significant influx of football fans. In Munich and Berlin, there was even a decrease in occupancy on match days, despite a rapid increase in ADR. The match between Slovenia and Serbia showed almost140%an increase compared to 2023, with minimal occupancy growth. Meanwhile, in Berlin, the weekly increase in ADR was approximately50%compared to 2023, before the final, it reached on the evening of the championship200%However, Berlin also faced a decrease in occupancy compared to the same period in 2023.

Frankfurt and Düsseldorf, in particular, showed significant jumps in ADR as a result of hosting conferences such as ACHEMA and DRUPA before the tournament, comparable to any of the games they hosted. The biggest jump in ADR in Frankfurt occurred during the match between England and Denmark, although it did not reach the level set at the ACHEMA event.

The data shows that fans did not stay in the cities for long. A significant drop in room rates and occupancy the day after the matches was evidence that the fans' stay was temporary and, therefore, did not lead to an increase in revenue for the host cities as it would have in an Olympic city. An example is the ADR premium indicator, which shows that in Dortmund there was a recorded...175%the difference in occupancy levels on match days and regular days, while Berlin and Munich showed fluctuations in52%and66%accordingly.

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