Hospitality and tourism

In recent years, interest in Aarhus has been significant, and Aarhus has become an attractive 'second city' to visit. Aarhus has benefited greatly from excellent coverage in international media, and this interest is returning now that the Covid-19 pandemic has subsided.

The city has become a top destination for cruise ship guests, and at the moment, so many shipping companies have announced their arrival in 2023 that it’s shaping up to be a record year for cruise ships in Aarhus.

In 2019, Aarhus had a record number of visits, with over 1.2 million overnight stays and 3.4 million day trippers. This is a benchmark for the revitalization of tourism that is on the agenda for Aarhus in coming years.

A conference and convention venue

In recent years, Aarhus has been rapidly moving up in the premier international ranking of popular meeting industry cities published by the International Congress and Convention Association, ICCA. Aarhus ranks number 88 out of 424 cities in the latest ICCA ranking from 2020. One of the reasons behind Aarhus’ popularity is the strategic collaboration on conferences and conventions between Aarhus University, the city’s business community, VisitAarhus and the City of Aarhus.

The positive trend in business tourism is a significant economic boost for the city. Meeting guests are among the highest-spending tourists, spending on an average of DKK 3,000 per day.

International meeting tourism was severely affected by Covid-19. However, the Danish meeting market in the Aarhus region performed well in the fall of 2021, and progress is being made on restoring the international meeting market for conferences, conventions and business travel. Despite Covid-19, the prestigious Rehabilitation International World Congress was successfully held in Aarhus. The conference took the form of a hybrid event.

2022 is shaping up to be a banner year for the conference and convention market in Aarhus. Four major professional conventions are on the program: ECREA – European Communication Conference, YMCA World Congress, International Normal Labour and Birth Research Conference and ICED 2022 Conference (International Consortium for Educational Development).

Gastronomy

Aarhus has an outstanding gastronomy scene, and the city’s many creative gourmet chefs are constantly working to refine and reinvent new concepts and flavors: there are always new food experiences on the menu. Aarhus is a world-class gastronomic destination, with four Michelin-starred restaurants, three Bib Gourmand restaurants, three Grønne Kløver restaurants and an impressive seven restaurants with the Michelin Plate.

Aarhus is the only Danish member of the global gourmet network Délice. The network comprises the 31 most exciting food and gastronomy destinations in the world, and provides members with opportunities for international chef exchanges, joint marketing and knowledge-sharing. Aarhus was admitted in 2014.

In 2017, Aarhus was named European Region of Gastronomy, and in 2019 hosted the Michelin Guide ceremony for the conferral of stars and awards in Scandinavia – the first non-capital city to have this honor.