Erfurt (dpa/th) - After a long Corona dry spell, business in the Thuringian health resorts and spas has picked up speed again. "Thuringian spas and health resorts are looking to the future with optimism," said Matthias Strejc, President of the Thuringian Spa Association and Mayor of Bad Frankenhausen. The tourism development is currently positive and the number of visitors is partly back to the level of 2019.
For the future, the spa association generally expects an increasing demand for health care - for example, because outpatient cures are now a mandatory service of the health insurance companies. In the clinics, the treatment of post-Covid patients creates additional demand. The health resorts are particularly worried about the view of autumn and winter. In addition to possible new restrictions due to an impending corona wave, the current development of energy prices and the shortage of skilled workers are a challenge.
According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs, there are 18 health resorts in Thuringia that generated sales of around 770 million euros in 2019 and accounted for almost a third of all overnight stays in the Free State. According to the Ministry of the Interior, around 51.5 million euros from regular funds and special allocations flowed into the Thuringian health resorts in the Corona years 2020 to 2022.
