Tourism is an important economic factor for Germany's northernmost state of Schleswig-Holstein.
Thanks to its coasts on the North Sea in the west and Baltic Sea in the east, Schleswig-Holstein has a great variety of beaches and water sports facilities. Due to its geographical location on the way to Scandinavia it is also a transit area for tourists from all over Europe.
In 2002 there were a total 176,198 guest beds in Schleswig-Holstein, which were used that year by 2,968,406 visitors for 15,429,614 overnight stays. 278,786 der visitors came from abroad, that represents about 8.6% of all overnighting guests. The bathing resorts on the Baltic Sea had somewhat more visitors (720,115) than those on the North Sea (604,548), but on average the North Sea guests stayed longer, so that the total of overnight stays was greater (5,122,549) than on the Baltic Sea. Less important to tourism were the climatic spas (153,538 visitors with 592,705 overnight stays) and health spas (132,337 visitors with 755,153 overnight stays).
The most important destinations for tourists were, in order of the number of overnight stays:
Sankt Peter-Ording, North Sea: 909,920 overnight stays, 101,607 visitors of whom 408 (0.4%) from abroad, 8,991 guest beds.
Westerland, Sylt, North Sea: 819,935 overnight stays, 96,120 visitors of whom 271 (0.28%) from abroad, 9,159 guest beds.
Grömitz, Baltic Sea: 714,188 overnight stays, 96,116 visitors of whom 413 (0.43%) from abroad, 8,305 guest beds.
Timmendorfer Strand, Baltic Sea: 676,510 overnight stays, 124,761 visitors of whom 2,567 (2.0%) from abroad, 6,771 guest beds.
Büsum, North Sea: 658,723, 83,295 visitors, of whom 480 (0.57%) from abroad, 6,846 guest beds.
Wyk auf Föhr, North Sea: 492,041 overnight stays, 46,368 visitors, of whom 325 (0.70%) from abroad, 4,733 guest beds.
Burg auf Fehmarn, Baltic Sea: 312,115 overnight stays, 47,704 visitors, of whom 1,476 (3.0%) from abroad, 3 364 guest beds.
Scharbeutz, Baltic Sea: 292,468 overnight stays, 45,314 visitors, of whom 1,366 (2.92%) from abroad, 3,940 guest beds.
Norddorf, Amrum, North Sea: 276,978 overnight stays, 25,098 visitors, of whom 576 (2.24%) from abroad, 2,162 guest beds.
Wenningstedt, Sylt, North Sea: 276,344 overnight stays, 36,775 visitors, of whom 570 (1.53%) from abroad, 2,650 guest beds.
The most important health spa was Malente with 232,000 overnight stays, most important climatic spa was Plön with 132,000 overnight stays.
Angeln
Bungsberg
Danish Wahld
Dithmarschen
Eiderstedt
Elbe Marshes
Mittelholstein with the Aukrug Nature Park and the Westensee Nature Park
Holstein Switzerland Nature Park, (Schleswig-Holstein Uplands) the heart region of Wagria with the Plöner See
Hüttener Berge Nature Park
Lauenburg Lakes Nature Park
North Frisia
Probstei
Sachsenwald, largest forest in Schleswig-Holstein, owned by the Bismarck family
Schleswig Geest, large pine forests
Schwansen
Wagria
Wadden Sea, Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park, mudflat hiking
Amrum
Föhr
Helgoland
Pellworm
Sylt
The Halligen
North Frisia
Husum Bay
Eiderstedt
Island of Fehmarn
Eckernförde Bay
Flensburg Fjord
Damp
Grömitz
Heiligenhafen
Kiel Fjord
Baltic Seaside Resort of Laboe
Lübeck Bay
Neustadt in Holstein
Scharbeutz
Schlei
Sierksdorf
Timmendorfer Strand
Travemünde and the Priwall
Eutin (Castle)
Flensburg
Friedrichstadt
Glücksburg (water castle)
Husum
State capital of Kiel
Hanseatic city of Lübeck (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
Plön
Shoemakers' town of Preetz
Island town of Ratzeburg
Schleswig (Gottorf Castle)
Kiel Week, biggest sailing regatta in the world and biggest summer festival in Northern Europe
Travemünde Week, the second biggest regatta in the world
North Sea Week, biggest German regatta for touring sailors on the North Sea off Heligoland
Robbe & Berking Classic Week, Flensburg Fjord, biggest German regatta series for classic yachts (built before 1969, no yachts built with man-made materials)
Rum Regatta, biggest gaff rig sailing event in Flensburg
Lübeck Nordic Film Days
Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, one of the most important music festivals in Europe
Jazz Baltica, international jazz festival
Folk Baltica, international folk festival
Karl May Festival in Bad Segeberg
Harbour Days (Hafentage) in Husum, biggest maritime town event on the west coast
Rarities of Piano Music in Husum, internationally renowned piano festival at Husum Castle
International Puppet Theatre Festival "Pole Poppenspäler Tage" in Husum
Schleswig-Holstein Open Air Museum in Molfsee near Kiel
Museumsberg (in Flensburg)
Kunsthalle Kiel
Behnhaus (in Lübeck)
St. Anne's Museum Quarter (in Lübeck)
Holstentor (in Lübeck)
Lübeck Museum of Theatre Puppets
Buddenbrookhaus (in Lübeck)
Gottorf Castle (in Schleswig)
Danewerk Museum (near Schleswig)
Haithabu Viking Museum (near Schleswig)
Theodor Storm Centre (in Husum)
Husum North Sea Museum / Nissenhaus (in Husum)
Husum Castle (in Husum)
Laboe Naval Memorial and U 995 (in Laboe)
Old Salt Road between Lübeck and Lüneburg
Monks Way (Mönchsweg)
North Sea Cycle Route
Eider-Treene-Sorge Cycleway
Baltic Sea Coast Cycleway
Ox Road (Ochsenweg)
Viking-Frisian Way
The Hansa Park in Sierksdorf on Lübeck Bay
Ellerhoop-Thiensen Arboretum
Tolk-Schau Leisure Park
A viewers' poll on holiday destinations in the NDR transmission area, that was carried out in 2007 for the NDR television with the title "The most beautiful holiday destinations in North Germany", resulted in the following rankings within Schleswig-Holstein:
7: Sylt,
11: Amrum,
12: St. Peter Ording,
13: Holstein Switzerland,
14: Fehmarn,
15: Helgoland,
18: Schleiregion,
19: Lübeck Bay,
20: Büsum,
21: Lübeck,
22: Hallig Hooge,
24: Kiel Canal Region,
27: Kiel,
31: Flensburg,
(The remaining places were won by other places and regions in the rest of NDR's catchement area.)
