Press release No. 134 of 18 March 2021
Turnover in accommodation and food services, January 2021 (provisional results)
+3.3%, in real terms, on the previous month (calendar and seasonally adjusted)
+2.0%, in nominal terms, on the previous month (calendar and seasonally adjusted)
-69.9%, in real terms, on the same month a year earlier
-68.9%, in nominal terms, on the same month a year earlier
WIESBADEN – According to provisional data of the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), turnover in the accommodation and food services was in January 2021 3.3% in real terms (price-adjusted) and 2.0% in nominal terms (not price-adjusted) higher than in December 2020. Turnover in real terms (after calendar and seasonal adjustment) was 70.0% lower than in February 2020, the month before the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in Germany.
In January 2021, turnover in accommodation and food services fell by 69.9% in real terms and 68.9% in nominal terms compared to January 2020. The turnover reported by hotels and other accommodation establishments was 84.0% lower in real terms than in January 2020. Turnover in food and beverage services decreased by 62.9% in real terms compared to January 2020. Within the food and beverage service sector, the real turnover of caterers was 47.5% lower in January 2021 than in the same month of the previous year.
Methodological notes:
The differing comparative periods must be taken into account in all press releases on economic indicators. Short-term economic monitoring usually focuses on comparisons with the previous month or previous quarter. These reflect short-term economic trends. A comparison with the previous month/previous quarter can only be meaningfully interpreted using calendar and seasonally adjusted data. A comparison with the previous year is intended to offer a long-term comparison of levels and is not subject to seasonal fluctuations. Due to strong temporary decreases and increases during the current coronavirus crisis, the results of month-on-month/quarter-on-quarter and year-on-year comparisons may differ considerably. Both of the two perspectives are important: what is the short-term economic trend compared with the previous month/previous quarter, and how far has the catching-up process gone compared with the previous year’s level? In order to provide a direct comparison with the pre-crisis level, all press releases on short-term indicators available in calendar and seasonally adjusted form now include a comparison with February 2020 or the fourth quarter of 2019.
The survey covers accommodation and food services enterprises with a turnover of at least 150,000 euros per year. Destatis takes into account late notifications from the enterprises surveyed and therefore continuously updates the first proven results.
The revision tables provide information on the impact of the updates on the results.
The results of accommodation and food services statistics may differ from those of tourism statistics, especially in the summer months, because turnover in accommodation establishments does not always correspond to the dates of overnight stays. Methodological differences may also lead to different results.
Time series are available in table Turnover from accommodation and food services (45213-0005) in the GENESIS-Online database.
