Oktoberfest 2016 Brings in £1.18 Billion in Tourism for Munich

This year, Munich will host 7 million travelers from around the world for the annual Oktoberfest.

With foaming beers in hand, many are able to forget the high costs of the festival everyone holds so dear. The price of beer, accommodations and flight prices will be raised significantly for all in attendance, which leads to the question: by exactly how much are these prices increasing during the Oktoberfest season? ABCD Agency, a public relations performance agency, has taken the time to research the answers.

The high prices do not keep the 4 million out-of-town attendees and 3 million locals away from the world-wide event of guaranteed camaraderie; according to statistics from Oktoberfest.net, the number of visitors rounds to about 7,200,000 each year, all helping consume approximately 6,900,000 liters of beer. Perhaps this statistic explains the average number of lost items during the week’s event, coming out at about 4,500 items and including clothes, IDs, wallets, eyeglasses, keys, cell phones and more.

With the vast number of drunk travelers coming to the region, it is with no surprise that the average price for a hotel room two weeks before and after the event totals at at about 40 euros, while during the event, the average hotel room goes for about 200 euros. This inflation in hotel prices proves a rise of 85 percent compared to the weeks before and after festival. To reach this conclusion, ABCD calculated the prices of roughly 40 hotels ranging in variety and star-ratings in Munich. In comparison, the price of flights shows a 220 percent increase.

The significance in individual travelers’ costs during the week of Oktoberfest shows just how many are willing to pay for a good time.

Grace Williamson is a travel intern with Paste and a freelance writer based out of Athens, Georgia.