After two years of the pandemic, the tourism industry in Saxony is looking forward to the summer season with confidence. The booking situation for the holidays is good. However, there are now other burdens in addition to Corona.
Dresden (dpa / sn) - Saxony's tourism industry is optimistic about the summer season. In July and August in particular, many guests from Germany and increasingly from abroad are expected, as the Tourismus Marketing Gesellschaft Sachsen (TMGS) announced on Thursday in Dresden. In the past few days, the demand has "increased gratifyingly". Both the large cities of Leipzig and Dresden and regions such as the Lusatian Lake District are reporting good booking levels for the summer holidays. Tourism Minister Barbara Klepsch (CDU) sees a "glimmer of hope" for the entire industry.
However, the summer season will not be a sure-fire success, said TMGS Managing Director Veronika Hiebl. Therefore, there is increasing advertising in Great Britain, Italy, Austria, Poland, Switzerland and the Czech Republic for holidays in Saxony - and nationwide for water landscapes and sustainable city holidays.
"The good occupancy rate makes us optimistic about the overall development of tourism this year," said Hiebl. With around 3.8 million overnight stays between January and April, the balance was just over a quarter below the value from the same period in the pre-corona year 2019. However, tourism professionals are looking to autumn and winter with concern because of the uncertainties in the corona -pandemic and the economic and political situation. According to Hiebl, market research studies already show that Germans may also save on vacation. "The sharply rising costs are affecting an industry that is already at its limit due to Corona."
Volker Bremer, Managing Director of Leipzig Tourismus und Marketing GmbH, sees the trade fair city as a travel destination on the right track again. They are already close to the values of the pre-crisis year 2019 or even exceed them in some cases. "People are very interested in meeting again after a two-year break due to the pandemic and enjoying culture and gastronomy together," said Bremer. If there are no more setbacks, 2022 will be a very good year for Leipzig's tourism.
The hosts in Dresden are also satisfied, explained Corinne Miseer, Managing Director of Dresden Marketing GmbH. "However, the extraordinarily short-term travel decisions of the guests make it difficult to plan." In addition, the high inflation is a burden because, according to surveys, some guests can no longer afford a city break.
The Lausitzer Seenland is almost fully booked, especially during the Saxony holidays, as Kathrin Winkler, Managing Director of the local tourism association, announced. In the region there is again increased demand from the Czech Republic. In the pre-season, new guests from southern Germany also came to Lusatia.
In contrast, there are still free accommodations in the Ore Mountains. "The demand for a summer holiday in the Ore Mountains has not yet been as high as we were able to register last year," said the tourism association. After two years of the pandemic, the guests were probably heading for more distant destinations again. The 9-euro ticket has a positive effect: day trips are very popular.
According to the tourism experts, Saxon Switzerland is well booked, but there are still accommodations in all price ranges. It is assumed that the number of overnight stays will level off at around the 2018 level. "This is a solid result, but is still around 7 percent below that of the previous record year 2019," it said. Stable framework conditions are now important for the autumn.
