More sun, fewer guests: a difficult summer for the German tourism industry DW Travel | DW

Beach scene on the Baltic Sea island of Usedom

Usedom was not quite as popular this summer as it was in the two previous years. Nevertheless, one is reasonably satisfied with the booking figures on the Baltic Sea island. On average, they were around 20 percent below those of the two Corona years, says Michael Raffelt, founder of the Hotel Hanse-Kogge in Koserow and chairman of the Hotel Association Insel Usedom. “But it wasn’t a bad summer either.” Because of the travel restrictions, an unusually large number of Germans had recently vacationed on the Baltic Sea. “Now we have to get used to fighting for every guest again,” says Raffelt.

Beach scene on the Baltic Sea island of Usedom

The number of guests on Usedom will approach the pre-Corona level again in 2022

Waiver of leave only in emergencies

After corona restrictions made traveling abroad even more difficult last year, this summer Germans were actually drawn more and more into the distance. In particular, flight packages to the Mediterranean were very well booked, according to the German Travel Association. Majorca, Greece and Turkey were particularly in demand. Traditionally, around two-thirds of Germans spend their holidays abroad and one-third at home. The booking figures for trips abroad have been very good and since February have consistently been above those of the pre-Corona year 2019.

This is also confirmed by the tour operator DERTOUR, who recently published their travel barometer. The longing for vacation is great and after two years without expensive long-distance travel, many people were willing to spend more money than before the pandemic, it says: spending on hotel stays abroad has increased by 51 percent on average . Many vacationers would have booked a higher hotel category and stayed a day longer on average.

People at the port, a cruise ship in the background

Mallorca was one of the most popular travel destinations for Germans this summer

In domestic tourism, the situation is somewhat different. On Usedom, for example, Michael Raffelt has already noticed a great deal of uncertainty among his guests this summer. This is supported by the short-term bookings: people often only make reservations 14 days in advance. This is due to high inflation. “One or the other wants to wait and see what’s coming and only then decide whether to go on vacation at all,” suspects Raffelt. On top of that, once they have arrived, money is not too easy for many guests this year. “Many guests no longer go to the restaurant every day and tend to hold back one or the other.”

Crisis as a permanent condition in the hotels

It is fitting that the sales figures in the German hospitality industry are still below the pre-crisis level, as reported by the German Hotel and Restaurant Association (DEHOGA). The situation is “extremely challenging” because the industry is “confronted with skyrocketing costs in the areas of energy, food and personnel,” says Guido Zöllick, DEHOGA President. In the case of energy costs in particular, there is no end in sight to the price spiral. In addition, more than 60 percent of hospitality businesses were still looking for skilled workers and unskilled workers in June. “Because there is a lack of employees, companies have to reduce their opening hours and reject events,” said the DEHOGA President at the time. At least demand has developed well since the Corona requirements were lifted in May. In July, sales were back to the pre-corona level for the first time.

Serving robot Bella with a waitress

Restaurants use robots in many places due to a lack of staff – like here in Grömitz

The Ministry of Tourism in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania also confirms this positive trend. A good summer season was achieved, according to a press release. The utilization of all tourist capacities was 87 percent in July and 80 percent in August. Schleswig-Holstein, on the other hand, reported an increase in overnight stays of 4.4 percent in the first half of the year compared to the same period in 2019. The North Sea Tourism Association expects the summer numbers to level off at around the pre-Corona level. However, the guests have recently become “more price-sensitive” and have been more cautious about paid leisure activities and gastronomy.

Winners and losers of the 2022 season

Daniel Thiriet, Vice President of the River Cruise interest group, the association of river cruise operators, also confirms that the tourism industry has faced a number of challenges this summer. The prolonged drought had led to low water in many places, making river navigation more difficult. There were only isolated cases of cancellations or complete closures of routes, but the companies had to put in a lot of effort to be able to maintain operations. On the Rhine, for example, shipping was no longer possible in places, so that passengers had to be transported by bus on some sections.

Passenger ship Father Rhine in a narrow channel in the dried-up river bed

Low water made passenger shipping on the Rhine more difficult this summer

One of the sectors that is currently doing better than before Corona is campsites. These even set a new record in the first half of the year: According to the Federal Association of the Camping Industry in Germany (BVCD), the number of overnight stays rose by eleven percent compared to the same period in 2019 to 14.2 million. But the joy is not undiminished here either. “In view of the uncertain forecasts and current burdens for consumers, we are looking forward to autumn with subdued expectations,” says Christian Günther, BVCD President.

Caravans and tents between trees

Germany’s campsites are still very popular

The next challenge is called the energy crisis

Michael Raffelt is also worried about the future. “We currently have so many problems that overlap: It’s scary,” he says. From his point of view, this includes in particular the high energy costs. The suppliers have already terminated the contracts of the first hotels on Usedom. What the new conditions will look like remains to be seen. Raffelt doesn’t bode well. “After all, we’re not an industry that can pass all costs on to customers,” he says. This is otherwise reflected directly in the booking figures.


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