June was the first full moon of the year when hotels and restaurants were reopened in Bavaria, Germany. The industry is looking forward to the start, but Bavarian tourism is now far from what it was before the pandemic.
According to sector experts, the number of bookings is stable, but cancellation and uncertainty remain a major problem. As a rule, good occupancy is expected during the summer holidays, but there is some skepticism about the time after that.
The reason for this is that Bavarian tourism professionals no longer believe that hotels will be able to stay open in the autumn. The fact that the number of Covid-19 infections is rising again in some parts of Europe is of great concern to hoteliers in Bavaria.
According to experts from the Bavarian tourism sector, if there is another isolation in Germany or only in Bavaria, the effect will be “catastrophic”. Especially since the business is launched “a little more hesitantly” than last year.
Major losses during a pandemic
In this context, it should be noted that in Upper Bavaria, Munich and other cities have suffered heavy sales losses due to the pandemic. Munich alone is struggling with a 60% reduction in overnight stays. Last summer, occupancy was only 40%, while in previous years it was 70%.
The main reason for this, according to the Tourist Association of Upper Bavaria – the lack of foreign guests and business trips. Thus, the restoration of Munich and other major cities will take a little longer.
As for June, the first month after the blockade, it was quite bad for Bavarian tourism: sales fell by 32% compared to 2019. In total, in 2020, the number of overnight stays in Bavaria fell from about 101 million to 60 million. In addition to the financial problems of hoteliers, there is a shortage of staff, as many temporary workers “migrated” to other industries.
For this reason, the Bavarian Association of Hotels and Restaurants (Dehoga) has called on the government to exclude this industry from the potential blockade in the autumn. Moreover, the association has formulated a list of measures and requires the federal government to open a long-term plan.
Isn’t everything so gloomy?
However, some representatives of the sector are cautious and optimistic. According to the Upper Bavarian Tourist Association, there is a positive trend and growing demand, with an increase in inflows especially noticeable in rural areas.
Moreover, representatives of the city of Munich predict that the desire for city travel will not decrease, as the cities offer a unique experience that is desirable for the population.
But in the meantime, stakeholders in the industry, from operators of mountain trains and boats to operators of castles or other cultural heritage sites, support the Dehogi initiative and look forward to developing the sector in the coming months, hoping that the re-blockade will not hurt.