Munich Convention Bureau
Munich Convention Bureau (München Tourismus) is the official municipal tourism authority of the City of Munich, operating the multilingual munich.travel portal to intermediate tourist passes, guided tours, excursions, hotel bookings, and MICE venue services for leisure visitors and event planners worldwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersMunich, Germany
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Munich Convention Bureau does
Munich Convention Bureau (München Tourismus) is the official tourism marketing and convention bureau of the City of Munich (Landeshauptstadt München), operating as a public corporation (Körperschaft des öffentlichen Rechts) under the municipal Department of Labour and Economic Development. It runs the official Munich tourism portal munich.travel (also branded simply Munich and einfach München), which is delivered in six languages (German, English, Italian, Spanish, French, Polish) and offers 24/7 online booking alongside physical tourist information offices at Marienplatz. The portfolio centers on two tourist passes — the Munich Card (from €5.90, discounts at 100+ offers with optional free public transport in zones M or M-6) and the premium Munich City Pass (from €39.90, free or priority access to 40+ attractions) — both technically operated through Turbopass GmbH. Additional offerings include certified-guide walking tours (Old Town tours from €22, private tours from €200), day excursions to Neuschwanstein, Salzburg, Zugspitze, and Berchtesgaden (€66–€135), panoramic Hop-On Hop-Off and pedicab city tours, brewery and FC Bayern stadium experiences, hotel brokerage via the tomas.travel platform, gift vouchers (three-year validity), and the printed Official Munich City Guide.
The business model is intermediation-based rather than asset-heavy: the City of Munich acts as broker for tour, excursion, and hotel bookings, with contracts concluded directly between customers and service providers (Autobus Oberbayern, Mentor-Reisen, Münchner Stadtrundfahrten, Yellow Cab, Lederhosen-Express, rikschaguide, Minga Tours, Stattreisen, and others), generating commission and transaction-fee revenue. MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, exhibitions) is served through a dedicated Convention Bureau vertical that uses meetago GmbH to route venue enquiries to providers. Distribution spans the multilingual e-commerce portal, MVG ticket machines, the Turbopass distribution network, B2B travel trade communications, and content channels including social media (Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, Vimeo, Pinterest, TikTok), the einfach München podcast, a separate tourist news portal, and live webcams. The organization is represented by Dr. Christian Scharpf as Head of Department and is staffed by approximately 9 employees; the legal entity is the City of Munich itself, VAT DE 129 524 000, with the Government of Upper Bavaria as the competent supervisory authority.
Munich Convention Bureau firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Munich Convention Bureau
- Legal name
- Landeshauptstadt München (City of Munich)
- Website
- https://simply-munich.com
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Munich Convention Bureau (München Tourismus) is the official municipal tourism authority of the City of Munich, operating the multilingual munich.travel portal to intermediate tourist passes, guided tours, excursions, hotel bookings, and MICE venue services for leisure visitors and event planners worldwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Munich Convention Bureau industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Convention and Visitor Bureau Services
- NAICS
- Convention and Visitors Bureaus (561591), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920), Tour Operators (561520)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Convention Campus & District Operators (Integrated Venue Districts) (THAHAAAL)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Convention & Exhibition Centers (Public Convention Centers, Civic Centers) (THAHAAAA)
Keywords
Where Munich Convention Bureau is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Munich
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Munich Convention Bureau business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Tour and Excursion Booking Intermediation: City of Munich acts as intermediary for bookings; contracts are concluded directly between customers and service providers (bus companies, tour guides, excursion operators). Commission-based revenue from facilitating bookings.
- Munich Card and City Pass Distribution: Distributed by Turbopass in cooperation with München Tourismus. The City of Munich acts as mediator. Revenue from card/pass sales with optional transport tickets.
- Voucher Sales: Sale of vouchers for public guided tours and München-Erlebnisse (experiences). Vouchers valid for three years from purchase date.
- Hotel Brokerage: Upon booking confirmation, customer becomes direct contractual partner of hotel. City of Munich acts as intermediary and assumes no liability for hotel service performance.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Munich Card - discounts on 100+ offers with free local transport |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Munich City Pass - free entry to 40+ attractions with priority access |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Guided City Tours |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Day Excursions |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | City Tours and Experiences |
| One time/ perpetual license | One time/ perpetual license | Official Munich City Guide |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels7 records
Munich Convention Bureau product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Munich Convention Bureau operates as part of München Tourismus, the official tourism marketing organization of the City of Munich, running the public tourism portal munich.travel. It sells tourist passes (Munich Card and Munich City Pass) providing discounts and free entry to 100+ attractions and free public transport, and intermediates guided tours, city panoramic tours, day excursions, hotel bookings, and gift vouchers. Through its Convention Bureau division, it provides MICE venue coordination, congress calendar, and event planning resources for meeting planners hosting events in Munich.
Product overview
Munich Convention Bureau (München Tourismus) operates the official tourist portal for the City of Munich, offering a portfolio of interconnected travel services. The core offering consists of the Munich Card and Munich City Pass—two tourist passes that provide access to discounts and free entries across museums, attractions, and public transport. These passes are distributed in partnership with Turbopass GmbH. The product suite extends to guided tours (offered through certified city guides and tour operators), city panoramic tours (via Gray Line Hop-On Hop-Off and pedicab services), day-trip excursions to regional attractions (Neuschwanstein Castle, Salzburg, Zugspitze), and specialized experiences (brewery tours, football stadium visits). Additional offerings include hotel booking facilitation, voucher products for tours and experiences, and the official Munich City Guide publication.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Munich Card
Companies that use Munich Convention Bureau
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Munich Convention Bureau technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Munich Convention Bureau partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Turbopass GmbHcoreAuthorized distributor for Munich Card and Munich City Pass. Provides technical infrastructure for card issuance and validation. Partnership enables online and offline distribution of visitor cards across Munich's tourism ecosystem.
- Datenwerk GmbHcoreTechnical operator of the munich.travel website and data processor for München Tourismus. Handles server operations, website hosting, and technical infrastructure supporting online booking and customer data management.
- Autobus Oberbayern GmbHcoreBus service provider for Munich excursions and day trips. City of Munich acts as intermediary for bookings; contract concluded directly between customer and Autobus Oberbayern.
- Mentor-Reisen GmbHcoreTour operator providing excursion services. Bookings mediated through City of Munich platform; direct contract between customer and service provider.
- Münchner Stadtrundfahrten oHGminorProvider of hop-on hop-off city tours in Munich. City acts as intermediary for bookings; standard terms and conditions of Münchner Stadtrundfahrten apply.
- Yellow Cab Verkehrsbetriebs-GmbHminorProvider of city sightseeing services. Included in hop-on hop-off tour offerings mediated through Munich Tourismus.
- Lederhosen-ExpressminorRickshaw tour operator providing pedicab tours through Munich. Part of München-Erlebnisse experience offerings.
- rikschaguideminorPedicab tour operator for Munich city tours and experiences. Provides rickshaw-guided tours of old town and Englischer Garten.
- Minga ToursminorMunich-based tour operator providing themed city tours and cultural experiences.
- StattreisenminorAlternative tour operator offering Munich city tours and experiences through the platform.
- munichwalktours – Münchner StadtführungenminorWalking tour operator providing guided tours of Munich's city center and themed districts.
- MucToursminorMunich tour provider offering city tours and themed experiences.
- Servus Bavaria ToursminorTour operator specializing in Bavaria and Munich regional experiences.
- SchwarzgoldminorTour operator providing Munich-based guided experiences and city tours.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Munich Convention Bureau competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Visit Berlin: Berlin's official tourism board and convention bureau. Directly comparable as a German municipal DMO/CVB providing visitor services, accommodation brokerage, MICE acquisition, and a Berlin Welcome Card tourist pass product distributed via regional transport integration.
- WienTourismus (Vienna Tourist Board): Vienna's official tourism board operating the Vienna City Card and MICE bureau services. Directly comparable in structure (city-owned, multilingual portal, tourist pass with transport integration, MICE congress acquisition) and competitive positioning within DACH.
- Barcelona Turisme (Visit Barcelona): Barcelona's municipal convention bureau and tourism board offering the Barcelona Card, MICE acquisition, and multilingual destination marketing. Comparable as a major European city CVB operating in the same international congress and leisure competitive set.
- NYC & Company: New York City's official destination marketing organization. Comparable as a non-profit municipal DMO running multilingual marketing, MICE acquisition, and visitor services, though operating at significantly greater scale and budget.
- London & Partners (Visit London): London's official destination marketing organization and convention bureau. Comparable as a major European capital CVB focused on MICE bidding, tourist passes (London Pass integration), and multilingual B2B services, though at much larger scale.
- Tourismus+Congress GmbH Frankfurt am Main: Frankfurt's official tourism and congress bureau. Operates the Frankfurt Card, MICE venue coordination, hotel brokerage, and multilingual destination marketing — virtually identical operating model to Munich Convention Bureau and a direct competitor for Germany-bound MICE bids.
- Hamburg Tourismus GmbH: Hamburg's city-owned tourism and congress bureau providing the Hamburg CARD tourist pass, MICE services, multilingual visitor portal, and tour/excursion brokerage. Comparable as another major German municipal DMO/CVB competing for international leisure and congress demand.
Broad incumbents
- GetYourGuide: Global online marketplace for tours, attractions, and excursions. Comparable as a tour/attraction booking platform competing for the same Munich-based experiences (Neuschwanstein, Salzburg, FC Bayern tours) that MCB intermediates via its partner network.
Emerging players
- Turbopass GmbH: Technology partner and authorized distributor for Munich Card and Munich City Pass. Comparable as a tourist pass technology and distribution platform serving multiple European destinations, partially overlapping with MCB's pass business but as a tech vendor rather than CVB.
Regional players
- VisitBruges / Meet in Bruges: Flemish regional CVB operating MICE acquisition, Bruges City Card, and multilingual visitor marketing. Comparable in operating model though serving a smaller destination and a different regional geography.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Munich Convention Bureau social profiles
Digital presenceMunich Convention Bureau financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Munich Convention Bureau leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Munich Convention Bureau funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Munich Convention Bureau 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 Munich Convention Bureau
What does Munich Convention Bureau do?
Munich Convention Bureau operates as part of München Tourismus, the official tourism marketing organization of the City of Munich, running the public tourism portal munich.travel. It sells tourist passes (Munich Card and Munich City Pass) providing discounts and free entry to 100+ attractions and free public transport, and intermediates guided tours, city panoramic tours, day excursions, hotel bookings, and gift vouchers. Through its Convention Bureau division, it provides MICE venue coordination, congress calendar, and event planning resources for meeting planners hosting events in Munich.
Is Munich Convention Bureau a public or private company?
Munich Convention Bureau is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Munich Convention Bureau founded?
Munich Convention Bureau was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Munich Convention Bureau based?
Munich Convention Bureau is headquartered in Munich, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Munich Convention Bureau make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Tour and Excursion Booking Intermediation is the primary driver. The others are munich Card and City Pass Distribution, voucher Sales and hotel Brokerage.
Who are Munich Convention Bureau's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Visit Berlin, WienTourismus (Vienna Tourist Board), Barcelona Turisme (Visit Barcelona), NYC & Company, London & Partners (Visit London), Tourismus+Congress GmbH Frankfurt am Main and Hamburg Tourismus GmbH. GetYourGuide is listed as a broad incumbent. Turbopass GmbH is listed as an emerging player. VisitBruges / Meet in Bruges is listed as a regional player.
Does Munich Convention Bureau have an API?
No public API is recorded for Munich Convention Bureau.
What industry is Munich Convention Bureau in?
Munich Convention Bureau's product category is Convention and Visitor Bureau Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAHAAAL, Convention Campus & District Operators (Integrated Venue Districts), with a secondary code of THAHAAAA, Convention & Exhibition Centers (Public Convention Centers, Civic Centers). Its NAICS code is 561591 and its SIC code is 7900.