Munich is hoping for a similar fan and tourist boom to the second guest game of the National Football League (NFL) this week as two years ago. The international reporting could have a positive effect on the city’s image, the press office of the Bavarian capital said in response to a dpa request.
The Carolina Panthers will play against the New York Giants on Sunday (3:30 p.m./RTL and DAZN). “We expect, especially after the experience with the NFL games in 2022, that the 2024 game will again attract many visitors to Munich,” it said.
Tourist rush 2022
Two years ago, the first NFL game in Germany took place in the Allianz Arena; according to estimates, the game attracted a total of 85,000 to 100,000 visitors to the city. The hotels in Munich were more than two-thirds full. According to the Department of Labor and Economic Affairs, this was a big increase: a year earlier, room occupancy was only around 36 percent, and in the comparable weekend in 2019 – i.e. before the corona pandemic – it was a good 50 percent.
Many fans were Americans, and the increase in overnight stays from the USA was 30 percent, it was said. According to mobile phone data analysis, of the almost 70,000 spectators in the arena, five percent each came from the USA and Great Britain. The city announced that the originally calculated tourism turnover of 31.4 million euros had been exceeded.
Big fan parties even without Tom Brady?
Two years ago, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with superstar Tom Brady won 21:16 against the Seattle Seahawks. The most successful quarterback in NFL history was a crowd puller in Munich. It is unclear how many fans and visitors will be attracted by the Panthers and Giants, who are rather disappointing in terms of sport. The city of Munich does not yet have current guest numbers for this week.
