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Tourism in Wittenberge: More guests despite AfD election results!
Tourism in Eastern Germany: Media reports on alleged declines in bookings after AfD elections, but the reality is different.
Tourism in Wittenberge: More guests despite AfD election results!
In the current discussion about the effects of the AfD's high election results on tourism in eastern Germany, differing opinions emerge. While some voices speak of a decline in the number of guests, officials vehemently contradict this assumption. A striking example comes from Wittenberge, Brandenburg, where a guesthouse operator said in a letter to newspapers that her accommodation was attracting fewer guests this year. She suspects the high AfD election results as a possible reason for this development. However, he reports Daily Mirror that her letter was published without prior research.
The FAZ also reported on cancellations, but did not give any political reasons for the cancellations. The Berliner Zeitung found that media reports about a decline in the number of holidaymakers in the East were published without reliable evidence. A survey of the tourism authorities in the five eastern German states showed that no significant cancellations were reported due to the AfD election results.
Conflicting reports and local reactions
In contrast to the alarming reports, there are indications of positive developments in East German tourism. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, high occupancy rates are reported for July and August, and in Brandenburg the number of overnight stays in April was also 10% higher than the previous year. Mayor Oliver Hermann from Wittenberge could not confirm the claims about an alleged tourism crisis. In addition, Lutz Lange, a local hotelier, reported increasing guest numbers and expressed criticism of the negative reporting.
The outrage over the reporting is noticeable in Wittenberge. The article about the situation appeared shortly before a small town congress that was supposed to present positive developments in the city. Jan Lange, Vice President of the German Hotel and Restaurant Association, calls on the media to conduct more thorough research in order to make the reality in the East more transparent.
Rejection of related opinions
Kreuch points out that the willingness to travel from the old federal states to the new federal states is low and sees a need for action to increase this. The exchange between tourism players therefore remains essential in order to strengthen the image of the East as an attractive travel destination.