Bookings from India and Japan during Oktoberfest Climb 60% and 31%

For three weeks in September and October (19th September to 4th October), Munich turns into the largest folk festival in the world – Oktoberfest. Visitors from around the world make the trip to play games, sample traditional Bavarian dishes and drink beer from the.

Amadeus Travel Intelligence reveals where these visitors are coming from in order to offer a richer picture of the festival. This represents a great opportunity for the hotel industry to offer broader packages to visitors, as well as for destination organizations to mount campaigns.

What Happened

Hamburg is the largest domestic origin at 31.3% of domestic bookings, and Bremen is the fastest growing source market, with a staggering 41% year-on-year growth and 2.7p.p increase in share of bookings. Occupancy across the three weeks of the event averages 70.9%.

• At its peak in 2023, Theresienwiese hosted 7.5 million attendees, this year authorities expect around 6 million attendees.

• The air data, as of August 19th, covers 18th September to 4th of October, while the hotel data, as of August 20th, covers week 13th September to the week 27th September (included) 2026 vs.

• Perhaps counterintuitively, large groups (6+) do not account for the lion’s share of air travel, at just 7% large groups represent the smallest share of bookings.In contrast, solo travelers represent the largest share of.

Key Details

Occupancy peaks over the mid-point of Oktoberfest, the 20-27th September at 78%, and ADR corresponds at €368, a 3.9% increase on previous year. The Oktoberfest tradition is more than 200 years old.

• Smaller groups (3-5 travelers) and duos account for 13% and 33% of the air bookings, though there has been a 4.6% decline in duo bookings compared to 2025.

• Air data reveals that the length of stay has increased between 2025 and 2026.

• Short stays (1-5 nights) are still the most popular trips at 65% of bookings (although they have decreased by 2% from 2025).

Why It Matters

It's grown into the world's largest folk festival drawing in vast, international crowds. But with long‑standing events and traditions, it's important to look at the data rather than assume that old trends and patterns still hold true.

• Conversely, trips of 14 nights or more are up 13% year on year and now represent over 6% of all bookings.

• The United States continues to lead the share of air bookings in 2026 at 37%, despite experiencing a 10% year-on-year decline in bookings.

What Reports Say

Coverage of the story so far points to:

• This decline is largely absorbed by rapidly growing markets like Australia +5.7%, Canada +9.1%, India +59.7% and Japan +30.7%.

• Domestic air bookings to Munich rose by 2.4%.

• Continued reporting by Airport Industry-News as more details emerge