VisitBerlin
VisitBerlin (Berlin Tourismus & Kongress GmbH) is Berlin's official tourism and convention marketing organization, operating the visitberlin.de portal, the Berlin Welcome Card, physical Tourist Info centers, and global market management for the city's inbound tourism sector.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1993
- HeadquartersBerlin, Germany
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What VisitBerlin does
VisitBerlin (legal entity: Berlin Tourismus & Kongress GmbH) is the official destination marketing and tourism promotion organization for Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1993, the company operates as a quasi-public DMO, coordinating marketing, information distribution, and booking services for the city's inbound tourism and convention sector. Its product portfolio centers on visitberlin.de (the official Berlin travel portal), the Berlin Welcome Card (an integrated tourist ticket providing free BVG/S-Bahn/VBB public transport plus discounts at 170+ attractions, with 15M+ historical units sold), the ABOUT BERLIN digital storytelling app (300+ curated location stories with audiobooks and offline maps), the Berliner Museumspass, and a tickets-and-tours e-commerce platform covering attractions such as the TV Tower, boat tours, and city sightseeing.
The company runs a hybrid physical-digital distribution model: five Berlin Tourist Info centers at Berlin Hauptbahnhof, Brandenburg Gate, Humboldt Forum, and BER airport provide multilingual (16-language) in-person booking and advisory services, while digital channels handle global e-commerce. A Market Management team covers 20+ country markets across DACH, UK/Ireland, Nordics, Eastern Europe, BeNeLux, France, Iberia, Italy, Israel, Turkey, North America, Asia (China, Japan), Latin America, and Oceania, executing press trips, famtrips, trade shows, and product training for travel trade partners. The platform integrates rail partners (Deutsche Bahn, European Sleeper, GoVolta, ÖBB Nightjet) and payment providers (PayPal, major card networks, Google Pay).
Revenue is generated through transaction fees on attraction ticket sales, hotel booking commissions (from 350+ partner hotels), and advertising/sponsorships on visitberlin.de and city card publications; the organization also appears to receive public-sector/owner funding consistent with its official DMO mandate. Customer segments span general leisure tourists, families, LGBTQI+ travelers, luxury visitors, food/cultural enthusiasts, accessibility-needs travelers, and travel trade professionals. In 2024 Berlin recorded 30.6 million overnight stays (+3.4% YoY), 12.7 million guests, and €16.9 billion in tourism sector revenue — figures that frame the addressable market in which VisitBerlin operates.
VisitBerlin firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- VisitBerlin
- Legal name
- Berlin Tourismus & Kongress GmbH
- Website
- https://visitberlin.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1993
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- VisitBerlin (Berlin Tourismus & Kongress GmbH) is Berlin's official tourism and convention marketing organization, operating the visitberlin.de portal, the Berlin Welcome Card, physical Tourist Info centers, and global market management for the city's inbound tourism sector.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
VisitBerlin industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Destination Marketing and Tourism Services
- NAICS
- Convention and Visitors Bureaus (561591), Travel Agencies (561510), Tour Operators (56152), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation (487)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Permitting, Reservations & Visitor Information Services (Passes, Booking, Visitor Centers) (THAAAGAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Online Booking Tools (OBT) & Corporate Booking UX (THALAGAD), Museum & Landmark Guided Tours (Skip-the-line/Docent-led) (THAJAAAC)
Keywords
Where VisitBerlin is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Berlin
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices5 records
Markets served
VisitBerlin business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Ticket Sales: VisitBerlin facilitates ticket sales for Berlin attractions, tours, museums, events, and sightseeing activities through its website and physical Tourist Info centers, earning commissions on transactions.
- Hotel Reservations: The Berlin Tourist Info centers offer hotel reservation services, booking from over 350 Berlin hotels, pensions, and guesthouses, generating revenue through booking commissions.
- Advertising and Sponsorships: The organization offers advertising opportunities on visitberlin.de including digital advertising, city card publications, and targeted newsletters for advertising clients seeking to reach Berlin visitors.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Berlin Welcome Card - basic version |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Berlin Welcome Card all-inclusive |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Sightseeing tickets |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Bahn + Hotel packages |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
VisitBerlin product offering
Product offeringCore offering
VisitBerlin (Berlin Tourismus & Kongress GmbH) operates Berlin's official tourism portal and destination marketing organization, providing travel information, attraction ticket sales, hotel reservations, and the Berlin Welcome Card tourist ticket with integrated public transport access. The company also operates five physical Tourist Info centers at key entry points across Berlin and the ABOUT BERLIN digital story app, generating revenue through transaction commissions on ticket and hotel bookings, advertising, and partnerships.
Product overview
VisitBerlin operates Berlin's official tourism portal (visitberlin.de) as a comprehensive platform offering travel planning services, tickets, and hotel bookings. The core product portfolio centers on the Berlin Welcome Card—the official tourist ticket providing free public transport and discounts at 170+ attractions—available as a physical card, digital app, or premium all-inclusive variant. Supporting offerings include the ABOUT BERLIN App (digital city guide with historical stories and the Berlin Unboxed podcast), the Berliner Museumspass for museum access, and the Tickets & Tours platform for booking attractions including TV Tower, boat tours, and city sightseeing. Physical presence is maintained through Berlin Tourist Infos centers at key locations including Brandenburger Tor, Hauptbahnhof, Humboldt Forum, and BER airport, offering multilingual service and hotel reservations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Berlin Welcome Card: Berlin's official tourist ticket providing free public transport and discounts at 170+ attractions
- ABOUT BERLIN App
- Berlin Tourist Infos
- Berlin Unboxed Podcast
Products and services
- visitberlin.de Berlin's official tourism portal providing comprehensive travel information, hotel bookings, event tickets, sightseeing tours, and travel planning tools for visitors to Berlin. Available in German, English, French, Italian, and Spanish.
- Berlin Welcome Card Berlin's official tourist ticket offering free public transport (BVG, S-Bahn, trams) and discounts of up to 50% at over 170 attractions in Berlin and Potsdam. Available as physical card or via mobile app, with over 15 million sold.
- Berlin Welcome Card App Mobile application for the Berlin Welcome Card, providing digital access to the tourist ticket with all card information, attractions, and transport benefits; available for iOS and Android devices.
- Berlin Welcome Card all inclusive
- Berliner Museumspass
- ABOUT BERLIN App
- Berlin Tourist Infos
- Tickets & Tours
- Berlin Unboxed Podcast
- Geschenkgutscheine für Berlin
- Gruppenreisen & Klassenfahrten
Quantifiable outcome
- 30.6 million overnight stays recorded in Berlin in 2024, up 3.4% from previous year
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use VisitBerlin
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
VisitBerlin technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration15 records
Feature3 records
VisitBerlin partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
VisitBerlin competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- NYC Tourism + Conventions: Official DMO/CVB for New York City. Operates the same destination-marketing, attraction-ticketing, and convention-promotion model as VisitBerlin, just at larger scale and for a US mega-city.
- Visit London: Official London tourism organization operating a city tourism portal, ticket/pass products, and physical visitor centers. Closest functional analog to VisitBerlin in Western Europe.
- Office du Tourisme et des Congrès de Paris: Paris's official DMO running a multilingual tourism portal, attraction tickets, and visitor services. Mirrors VisitBerlin's structure and product portfolio.
- Wien Tourist Board: Vienna's official DMO operating the wien.info portal, Vienna Pass, and visitor information services. Closest German-speaking peer to VisitBerlin.
- Amsterdam Marketing: Official Amsterdam destination marketing organization operating the I amsterdam portal, city card products, and visitor information services comparable to VisitBerlin's model.
- Turisme de Barcelona: Barcelona's official tourism organization offering city cards, attraction tickets, and visitor information. Operates the same DMO-plus-ticketing-platform structure as VisitBerlin.
- Visit Roma: Rome's official tourism organization running the turismoroma.it portal, tourist information services, and pass/ticket products for a major European cultural destination.
- Munich Tourism (Munich Tourist Board): Munich's official DMO operating the munich.travel portal and visitor services for another major German city. Most direct German-language peer to VisitBerlin.
Broad incumbents
- GetYourGuide: Global OTA for tours, activities, and attraction tickets. Competes with VisitBerlin's ticket-reselling function at much larger scale but does not run a city-DMO mandate.
- VisitBritain: UK's national tourism agency covering multiple destinations. Broader geographic scope than VisitBerlin but shares the public-sector DMO model and inbound-demand-generation mandate.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Customer concentration
VisitBerlin social profiles
Digital presenceVisitBerlin compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
VisitBerlin financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
VisitBerlin leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
VisitBerlin funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
VisitBerlin M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about VisitBerlin
What does VisitBerlin do?
VisitBerlin (Berlin Tourismus & Kongress GmbH) operates Berlin's official tourism portal and destination marketing organization, providing travel information, attraction ticket sales, hotel reservations, and the Berlin Welcome Card tourist ticket with integrated public transport access. The company also operates five physical Tourist Info centers at key entry points across Berlin and the ABOUT BERLIN digital story app, generating revenue through transaction commissions on ticket and hotel bookings, advertising, and partnerships.
Is VisitBerlin a public or private company?
VisitBerlin is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was VisitBerlin founded?
VisitBerlin was founded in 1993. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is VisitBerlin based?
VisitBerlin is headquartered in Berlin, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does VisitBerlin make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Ticket Sales are the primary driver. The others are hotel Reservations and advertising and Sponsorships.
Who are VisitBerlin's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are NYC Tourism + Conventions, Visit London, Office du Tourisme et des Congrès de Paris, Wien Tourist Board, Amsterdam Marketing, Turisme de Barcelona, Visit Roma and Munich Tourism (Munich Tourist Board). Broad incumbents are GetYourGuide and VisitBritain.
Does VisitBerlin have an API?
No public API is recorded for VisitBerlin.
What industry is VisitBerlin in?
VisitBerlin's product category is Destination Marketing and Tourism Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAAAGAD, Permitting, Reservations & Visitor Information Services (Passes, Booking, Visitor Centers), with a secondary code of THALAGAD, Online Booking Tools (OBT) & Corporate Booking UX. Its NAICS code is 561591 and its SIC code is 7900.